Under the Udala Trees

Published in 2015, Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta is historical fiction set during and after the Nigerian Civil War, written in a style of literary realism that incorporates elements of Nigerian folklore. Under the Udala Trees can is also categorized as LGBT+ literature—it won “Best Lesbian Fiction” in the 2016 Lambda Literary Awards.

Plot Summary

Our first-person narrator Ijeoma is a young Igbo girl living in Ojoto during the Nigerian Civil War. After her father Uzo is killed in an air raid, her mother, Adaora, sends Ijeoma to live with a grammar school teacher in Nnewi. Right before she leaves, her childhood friend Chibundu kisses her in an orange tree.

In Nnewi, Ijeoma finds Amina, a Hausa girl, under an udala tree and brings her home to live with the grammar school teacher and his wife. The teenagers work as housegirls and fall in love. One day, the teacher discovers them making love and sends Ijeoma to live with her mother in Aba.

Several months in Aba are devoted to Bible lessons as Adaora tries to exorcise the “demon” of Ijeoma’s sexuality. Eventually, Ijeoma and Amina reunite at the Girls’ Academy, a boarding school. However, after a nightmare, Amina refuses to date Ijeoma and begins to date men. When they graduate, Amina gets engaged to be married to a Hausa boy.

Ijeoma is working in her mother’s shop in Aba when she meets Ndidi, a secondary school teacher. Ndidi introduces Ijeoma to the underground LGBT+ community; they congregate at a building that is a church during the day and a gay dance club at night. Ndidi and Ijeoma fall in love.

The gay club is discovered and burned. This act of arson kills Ndidi’s friend, while other gay friends of theirs are killed in other locations. In the midst of this, Chibundu returns and wants to court Ijeoma. Ndidi encourages Ijeoma to try dating a man, and Ijeoma ends up marrying Chibundu under pressure from Adaora.

Chibundu and Ijeoma move to Port Harcourt, where Ijeoma exhibits symptoms of depression. Adaora visits and helps around the house. Eventually, Chibundu and Ijeoma have a baby girl, Chidinma, and Adaora returns to help with breastfeeding.

Ijeoma has been writing letters to Ndidi, but has only sent a few because it seemed like Ndidi wasn’t writing back; Ijeoma hides the unsent letters in her bedroom. When Chibundu discovers Ijeoma’s stash of unsent letters, he reveals that he has been stealing Ndidi’s letters from the post office. Chibundu threatens violence with a machete and demands Ijeoma bear him a son.

After a miscarriage and a dream about udala trees, Ijeoma leaves Chibundu and returns to Adaora’s house. In the Epilogue, Adaora takes her in and accepts that Ijeoma is a lesbian. Chidinma also accepts that Ijeoma is gay and grows up to become a university professor. Chibundu stays in Port Harcourt and never remarries. Ijeoma and Ndidi get back together and remain secret partners for many years.