I really liked this novella, originally published in 1972, about a Nigerian mother's daily life in a council estate in London. It's a real historical document in the way it depicts the lives of the women in the estate, showcasing the companionship, the racism, the poverty, the struggles, but above all the solidarity. I really enjoyed the writing style too, it's very matter-of-fact but captures all the idiosyncrasies and speech patterns and social realities very well. I would definitely read more Buchi Emecheta.

In the Ditch by Buchi Emecheta is a powerful and raw portrayal of the struggles faced by working-class women in post-colonial Nigeria. Emecheta’s unflinching narrative illuminates the harsh realities of poverty, gender inequality, and the complexities of motherhood. The protagonist’s resilience shines through amidst adversity, offering a poignant commentary on societal expectations. Emecheta’s prose is both evocative and impactful, making this novel a compelling exploration of the human spirit and the pursuit of a better life against all odds.

A young, single mother of five, biafran, civil-servant, student of sociology is moved from the rat infested flat she lives in into new housing. She tries to jugle her studies, her work, the children and living in a community of material and social poverty, and has a keen eye for the social composition of her surroundings. As she loses her job, the dole and social workers enter her life, while she struggles to keep her head up and her children fed.

I asked for (and received) a netgalley Review copy of the book because I liked the Cover and description. Somehow I did not realise that the book was first published in 1972, and I was intrigued when I started reading. The prose feels very modern, and I think the book translates beautifully into our time. If you needed to explain intersectionality to someone, this book would be perfect. It is smart, funny storytelling.

I felt like all characters were fleshed out and interesting, maybe with the exception of the children who only appear as wild things or in theory. I never really felt that the narrator had 5 of them, but it did not become annoying.

All in all, a timeless, timely book I will recommend to others!

Buchi Emecheta featured on Granta’s first list of the best, young British novelists. This is her compulsive, debut novel, from the early 1970s, a semi-autobiographical piece based on her experiences as a Black, single mother in London. It grew out of a regular column published in the leftwing, New Statesman magazine; episodic and strikingly vivid, it follows Adah a Nigerian woman in her mid-20s, recently divorced from her abusive husband, she has five small children. She’s struggling to juggle looking after them while studying at night for a degree.

In 1960s England finding decent accommodation as a Black woman is a challenge, for a Black woman with children it’s almost impossible. When the novel opens, Adah’s trapped in a rat-infested room rented from another Nigerian family who exploit and torment her for daring to complain about dire conditions. So, she’s relieved when the council offer her a temporary flat in a North London mansion block. But the spacious flat is hard to heat, riddled with damp and mould, its paper-thin walls mean she’s scared to even turn on the radio, in case she upsets her intimidating, next-door neighbours. Outside the stairwells stink of piss and the stench of rubbish fills the air. Yet, as time passes, Adah finds “warm, human comfort” as she’s welcomed into the estate’s wider community of displaced, impoverished women, all of them stuck in the ditch, desperate to find their way out.

Emecheta called this her documentary novel, she loved to read, spending hours in the local library where she was inspired by books produced by working-class writers like Nell Dunn and journalists like Monica Dickens who focused on depicting the nitty-gritty of women’s everyday existence. Emecheta’s account of life on the poverty line is often depressingly familiar, far too many aspects of Adah's day to day apply to contemporary England: inadequate childcare provision; unscrupulous landlords; mould-ridden buildings; the struggle to stretch the pennies to feed and clothe her family. But it’s also a rich, stirring account of resilience and solidarity, the writing is lively and fluid, packed with wry humour, as Adah and the working-class women she befriends fight back against the system that labels them as ‘problems’ but fails to recognise their humanity or individuality.

In the Ditch is such a freshly frank and unpretentious story of urban poverty. It shows the struggles of the character Adah navigating her life in the UK as a black single mother of five who tries to juggle work, care for her children and studying but has to give up her job to take care of the children. And the novel does this without trying to tell a moralistic tale, it's just honest and frank and you can clearly tell that the author knows this story. The book is not only filled with the existential desparation that literature centering experiences of poverty often has, the indefatigable spirit and humour of our main character Adah shines through, just as much as her hope for a better future does. "Hope for a better future" might sound pretentious on my end, but I do think that is part of it. You have to keep the hope alive that you can improve things if you want to get to a place of financial and social security in life, even with the forces of white capitalism trying to keep you down. Even if you don't receive the level of security you crave, hope will at least keep your spirit alive so that you don't sink further. Because you can always sink further into the bottomless ditch.

A short, compelling, partly autobiographical novel by Nigerian writer Buchi Emecheta (1944 - 2017). Set in London council housing in the early 70s, the story follows a black single mother, Adah, who gives up her civil service job so she can look after her five children in a decaying tower block called, strangely, Pussy Cat Mansions. She builds friendships with the other women 'in the ditch', trapped in a cycle of poverty, motherhood, welfare benefits and prejudice. They will eventually be rehoused but although they want to swap their horrible damp flats for newer ones with modern conveniences, they are worried about losing the community they are part of.

The book dates from 1972, but the topics explored and the realism of the writing suggest to me that it could be published as a new book today with only a few minor changes. That is a depressing thought because not much seems to have changed in fifty years. I liked the writing style and characterisation. I noted that there were few references to Adah's past, only some differences between Nigeria and England, with a mention of the Biafran War, and almost nothing about her husband who left her. I wonder if we are to infer that she is traumatised by what happened in her past and that she's focusing on the present to get herself through the grind of daily life. The only element of the book I didn't like was the ending, which seemed abrupt and made me wonder whether some pages were missing from my advance copy!

[Review to follow on my blog in December]

I'm happy I read this book because I discovered an excellent writer and rooted for Adah hoping that her will to improve would bring her to a better life.
There's a lot of things that should be in the past but are still existing: casual racism, misoginy but there's also solidarity and a different world with more opportunity and support.
It's a well written and thought provoking book
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

It took me a couple of attempts to read this one , then it clicked with me and I read it one sitting. A powerful, beautiful, vivid and heartbreaking read. I was transported to London in the 60's when reading and its devastating that some things remain the same today. However, determination, hope and the power of friendship shone through the darkness in this one. An incredible read. I have ordered a paperback of this one.

This is a semi autobiographical story describing the first few years of a young woman's life in the UK of the 60s/70s, after immigrating from Biafra, and accompanied by 5 young children, and no husband. The story follows her travails navigating the UK welfare system, while trying to build her life through work, studying, and friendships.

The story is incredibly well written, in line with the rest of the author's work. In some ways it is reminiscent of Chekhov - describing the life of a poor struggling family, and, through that, shedding light on more complex socio-political and psychological issues. There is a lot of charm and an aesthetically pleasing simplicity in the way the story is told. With nuance and precision the author paints a picture of the protagonist and her friends, making them almost come alive. The personalities and psychological idiosyncrasies are very nicely articulated via dialogues, and daily rituals (like getting out of bed, or not).

The story is in many ways sad - showing the obtuseness of the welfare system, describing all the minor ways that racism and sexism persists in the system, and, to some extent, among the community of folks living on estates. It also raises questions on how people end up on the dole, and debates the incentives for keeping them there. It also debates the complex emotions that these people have towards the government and the social workers that represent it. There is a particularly sharp observation at one point in the book describing how women sometimes have additional children as a mechanism to deal with their situation.

Despite all this, I find the story quite optimistic. Most importantly, it shows that despite all the difficulties and frustrations, there is, eventually, a path to a better life. The author's own story is also a case in point. I was also struck by the strong ties that formed between the women living in these conditions, transgressing divisions of race and background. The sense of community and the inter-reliance is a strong and permeates a lot of the positive elements in the book.

In many ways, this book describes how perseverance, commitment, community, and grit (and perhaps luck) can contribute to improving one's position in life. While this doesn't excuse the ineptness of the system, one can't do without these attributes, can one?

Highly topical, even 50 years after it was written, especially with the current government in power. I recommend it to anyone interested in the story of immigrants in the UK (and perhaps other Western countries?), the struggles of poor women to care for themselves and their families, and the role that the government can play (but perhaps doesn't do consistently) in helping those who struggle.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Its a great story told from an African woman's point of view of being single with 5 kids in 1960s north London. The camaraderie of life with other white working class women who also lived in "the ditch" is full of humour and support. It is a tragedy that Buchi Emecheta did not receive the acclaim she deserved whilst alive