Buzzapp Master 
Title: The Middle Daughter
Author: Chika Unigwe
Year of Publication: 2023
Number of Pages: 325
Category: Fiction
What immediately draws you into ‘The Middle Daughter’ is Chika Unigwe’s refreshingly simple writing style. She doesn’t overwhelm you with big words or complicated sentences. Instead, she tells the story clearly and honestly, almost as if she’s saying: the emotions matter more than the language. And she’s right, the emotional weight of this book is what truly stays with you.
From the opening pages, there’s a quiet sense of worry hanging in the air. Yet, Unigwe gently eases you into it, allowing you to settle into the story even as you sense something is about to go wrong. Then, just as you begin to enjoy what feels like a warm, familiar family tale, grief strikes. And everything changes.
Unigwe captures the chaos that loss can bring into a home. She shows us how death doesn’t just bring sadness. It reveals hidden truths, deep wounds, and unspoken pain. Everyone in the family grieves, but the story zooms in on one person, showing how depression can grip one soul far tighter than the others.
The protagonist challenges you. You’ll find yourself torn, do you feel sorry for her or frustrated by her choices? You may feel both. And your personal experiences will shape that reaction. For some readers, her journey may feel uncomfortably close to home.
Chapters are named after key characters, and each one adds a new layer to the story. It’s like stepping into different rooms of the same house, every door you open brings new emotions, new angles, and more reasons to keep reading.
Set in Enugu, the story at times feels almost unreal in its sadness. It’s emotional, and it’s dark. Yet, even in its heaviest moments, Unigwe weaves in quiet, unexpected humor like when she describes someone as having a “civil servant voice.” You pause. You smile. Who really has a civil servant voice? It’s in these small lines that her wit shines through.
And yet, it’s not an easy book to read emotionally. There are moments where you might feel like picking up the phone to ask a friend: Can this kind of story really happen? The portrayal of a mother treating her own child so poorly is deeply unsettling especially because the author never gives the mother a chance to explain herself. As a reader, you’re left with only assumptions, unanswered questions, and an uneasy heart.
The story grows heavier as it unfolds. At one point, you might feel emotionally tired and wonder ‘can grief really cloud the mind this much?’ But if you’ve ever lost someone, you know the answer is yes. The book doesn’t just talk about pain, it makes you feel it.
Even though The Middle Daughter is a quick read, it talks about many serious and important issues like pain, loss, sadness, pride, selfishness, feeling alone, religion, child trafficking, domestic violence, and more. It shows the kind of struggles people go through in real life. By the time you finish the book, it’s hard to walk away without feeling something.
The ending offers what looks like a happy resolution, almost like something out of a movie. But if you read closely, you’ll spot quiet warnings that all may not be as perfect as it seems, hints that Unigwe might not be done with these characters just yet.
One thing is clear: Chika Unigwe knows how to stir your emotions. ‘The Middle Daughter’ will pull at your heart, test your empathy, and stay with you long after the final page.
About the reviewer
Titilade Oyemade is a business executive in a leading organisation and holds a degree in Russian Language. She’s the convener of the Hangoutwithtee Ladies Event and the Publisher of Hangoutwithtee magazine. She spends her weekends attending women conferences, events and book readings. She loves to have fun and to help other women have the same in their lives. Email: [email protected] Social: @tiipreeofficial
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings