A review of The Wife’s Tale by Aida Edemariam

For a sense of place: The Wife’s Tale: A Personal History (4th Estate, 2018) by Guardian journalist, Aida Edemariam, is a work of art and an offering of love to Ethiopia and her grandmother. From the first page, there a total immersion in the life, religion, and politics of Ethiopia, through the intimate and detailed seasons of a devoted Christian woman who must survive her men. Using 40 tapes of recorded conversations, Edemariam not only crafts a believable voice for her grandmother, but a century of living history, and a deeply sensual sense of place. I swear I could taste her grandmother’s coffee.