Read this when
So Long a Letter
She's grieving the husband who left her for his daughter's friend. And writing her best friend the letter of the century about it. ✉️
Who it's for
The whole novel is one long letter from Ramatoulaye, newly widowed, to her friend Aissatou, and the form itself models expressive writing: she sets down grief, fury and memory in her own words to someone who will understand.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Mariama Bâ's 1979 Senegalese novel is written as a long letter from Ramatoulaye to her lifelong friend Aïssatou during the mourning period after her husband Modou's sudden death from a heart attack. Ramatoulaye recounts how, after decades of marriage, Modou secretly took a young second wife, Binetou, abandoning her and their twelve children, and reflects on that betrayal and her life as a single mother.
Where to find it
In print (the English translation is widely taught); available from libraries and some ebook platforms. Not public domain.
Before you start
Heads up: Death of a spouse and betrayal.
Age: Ages 14+
Love is the only thing that we can carry with us when we go, and it makes the end so easy.Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, Chapter FORTY
