Americanah

“She liked, most of all, that in this place of affluent ease, she could pretend to be someone else, someone specially admitted into the hallowed American club, someone adorned with certainty.” 

This quote, early on in the narrative, expresses Ifemelu’s sense of alienation in America, as well as her desire to belong in her adopted country as she prepares to return to her homeland. 

“She would always remember this moment, these words: I’m chasing you.” 

This quote sums up Ifemelu’s relationship with Obinze. He will always be the one pursuing her, chasing her, despite her lack of contact in America. He chases her right up until the novel’s close, when, having left his wife, he appears on her doorstep and repeats these words.

“And her joy would become a restless thing, flapping its wings inside her, as though looking for an opening to fly away.” 

This quote speaks to Ifemelu’s personality; she is a deeply restless individual who seeks out happiness and meaning in her life, but is then unable to accept that she deserves it. As soon as she experiences something profoundly good, be it a loving relationship or a stable job, she finds a way to self-sabotage.