comment on language and meaning

As the majority of the novel's characters are Nigerian, the author uses occasional words and phrases from the Yoruba language to enhance the reader's understanding of their culture and provide authenticity. For instance, Adah is beaten by her cousin with a “koboko” (21), which the narrator explains is a type of cane used on horses. There are also culturally specific phrases in the novel like “bride-price” (19), which refers to a reverse dowry, in which a man pays a woman's family a sum of money in order to marry her. References to Adah's “bride-price” provide insight into Nigerian society at this time, and how women were essentially purchased by their husbands as though they were goods.