That Thing Around The Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi

This collection of short stories has been an enjoyable companion on my tube journeys this week. The stories have a variety of settings, although most of them touch upon relationships, good and bad. One thing that struck me was the sympathetic portrayal of a number of gay characters, at stark odds with the vehemence and vitriol seen in some African countries at the moment; especially happy that these characters are not portrayed in any particular political light, just characters like the writer, the abandoned girlfriend, the new wife. The stories often seem to peter out; there is often no real climax or conclusion. But life is a bit like that, so the endings fit. Yes, it is acceptable to end a story like that, as one character asks.