The Trial and Other Stories

A collection of nine short stories, from Ifeoma Okoye, an established academic and writer of fiction, who won the Commonwealth Short Story Competition, Africa Region, in 1999. The title story tells the tale of Anayo, a grief-stricken and pregnant widow, who stands accused by her jealous brother-in-law, Ezeji, of poisoning her husband. Anayo faces a dehumanising and humiliating trial under the clan's traditional laws. An educated women, she stands firm and achieves some concessions, but can do little in the face of entrenched discrimination.