Book Review and Reflection of So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ

Published: 1979

Genre: Semi-autobiographical

Country: Senegal

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“The flavour of life is love. The salt of life is also love.” – p. 64

Introduction

An African proverb says, “Marriage is like a groundnut, you have to crack it to see what’s inside.” This saying reminds us that the true nature of a marriage only reveals itself through the everyday realities and challenges of life. Some of those challenges are expected and manageable; others arrive swiftly and violently, shaking you to the core and forcing you to question everything.

The protagonist in this novel, Ramatoulaye Fall, experiences both and more. But it’s how she navigates the wreckage of her marriage that reveals her strength and resilience. Her story, along with the decisions she makes, as well as what she accepts and what she refuses, renders this novel a powerful African feminist classic.

Book Summary and Reflections

The book takes the form of a long letter, a reflective and intimate journal written by Ramatoulaye in response to a letter from her lifelong friend, Aissatou. From the first pages, we see how deeply Ramatoulaye values their friendship. She uses the letter to recount significant moments of her life, and most painfully, to process the emotional aftermath of her husband’s decision to take a second wife.

It begins with her husband’s funeral. Despite their 25 years of marriage and 12 children, Ramatoulaye is now expected to share equal status with her co-wife, a young girl who used to be her daughter’s friend.

The betrayal is not just in the act itself, but in how it was carried out. Ramatoulaye wasn’t consulted or even informed beforehand. Instead, a delegation, including an Imam, arrived at her home to announce the marriage:

“‘…All he has done is to marry a second wife today. We have just come from the mosque in Grand Dakar where the marriage took place.’” (p. 37)

Another man added:

“‘Modou sends his thanks. He says it is fate that decides men and things: God intended him to have a second wife, there is nothing he can do about it…’” (p. 37)

Ramatoulaye sat quietly and took it in, not reacting until she bid them farewell.

I cannot begin to imagine the shock, heartbreak, betrayal, and sheer disrespect she must have felt. To be blindsided like this by a man to whom she had devoted her entire adult life is unimaginable. It wasn’t just the second marriage itself; it was everything surrounding it. The secrecy. The predatory nature of marrying a young girl who had frequented their home. And then, the utter disregard for her position, not just as a wife, but as the mother of his children, a woman who had built a life alongside him. Surely, she deserved more than this. To make it worse, she thought she had a good marriage going, a happy one, as her husband never mistreated her. She later reflects:

“I had never known the sordid side of marriage.” (p. 40)

Her daughter, furious, urged her to leave him. But Ramatoulaye had a lifetime to consider. After so many years of marriage, how do you start over? We already know from the beginning of the letter that she chose to stay. But how does she deal with Binetou? How does she process this betrayal? I won’t spoil that for readers; this is a story everyone should read at least once. I know I’ll be returning to it.

The Position of Women and Girls

Ramatoulaye and Binetou’s experiences force us to reflect on the position of women and girls in society, on autonomy, power, and the limited choices many women face, especially when those choices are tied to the decisions of men – themes as relevant today as they were in 1979.

Though Binetou is seen by many as the intruder, she herself had little choice. She was pressured by her family’s poverty and a sense of duty. She couldn’t say no. And Ramatoulaye understood this, even acknowledging Binetou’s desperate attempts to reclaim some power, to resist being framed solely as a victim.

As for Ramatoulaye, what choices did she truly have? Everyone expected her to leave. But she surprised them all. She stayed. And even then, her husband made yet another decision that defined her path. She reflected on something another woman said to her:

“A woman is like a ball; once a ball is thrown, no one can predict where it will bounce. You have no control over where it rolls, and even less over who gets it. Often it is grabbed by an unexpected hand…” (p. 40)

Her decision to stay wasn’t one of weakness; it was an act of resistance, of self-determination. Staying and staring reality in the face is powerful. Her daughter’s defiance, too, is a form of strength. Even Binetou finds her own way of fighting back. And in the other women whose stories Ramatoulaye shared, we see strength and resistance in both bold and subtle ways. Picking up the pieces of one’s life and glueing them back together is no small thing.

We must also honour friendship. The bond between Ramatoulaye and Aissatou is life-affirming. A friend who holds space for you emotionally and practically is a treasure.

Recommendation

This novel is a classic African work that everyone should read. Bâ’s writing is lyrical, evocative, and deeply moving. If the English translation is this rich, I can only imagine the beauty of the original French.

About the Author

Mariama Bâ was a Senegalese feminist, teacher, and author who wrote boldly about women’s lives in Senegal. She passed away from lung cancer at just 52, but her impact endures. So Long a Letter (Une Si Longue Lettre) was her debut novel. It won the first Noma Award for Publishing in Africa and has been translated into several languages. Mariama Bâ passed away before her second novel, Un Chant Écarlate (A Scarlet Song), was published.