Dream Count

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of sexual violence.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What elements of Dream Count struck you as most compelling or resonant? Which character’s story affected you most deeply and why?

2. Adichie’s exploration of memory and reflection during isolation in Dream Count echoes themes from her other works. In what ways does this compare to her approach in Americanah, where she also explores identity through characters navigating between different cultures?

3. The title Dream Count relates to the list of experiences the characters have lived through. Did this concept change how you think about measuring a life’s worth or meaning?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Each character in the novel struggles with reconciling their personal desires with societal expectations. Have you ever faced similar tensions between what you wanted for yourself and what others expected of you?

2. Chia spends much of the lockdown reflecting on her past relationships and wondering if she’s wasted time. The pandemic forced many people to reconsider our relationships with time and memory. What realizations about your own past emerged during periods of isolation?

3. Zikora’s journey into single motherhood challenges her previous ideas about family. How has your definition of family evolved throughout your life?

4. The four women in the novel maintain their friendships despite geographic distance and life changes. These relationships sustain them through their most difficult moments. Which friendship in the novel resonated most with your own experiences of long-distance connection?

5. Omelogor’s aunt challenges her life choices, suggesting she can’t truly be happy without marriage and children. This confrontation makes Omelogor question her own contentment. Has someone’s judgment of your life choices ever made you reconsider your own happiness?

6. The characters often retreat into memory when faced with present challenges. What memories serve as anchors for you during difficult times?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Throughout the novel, America symbolizes both opportunity and disappointment for characters like Kadi and Omelogor. What does Adichie reveal about the immigrant experience and the reality versus the perception of America?

2. The justice system fails Kadiatou after her sexual assault, revealing deep biases against immigrant women. This storyline draws from real-world cases Adichie mentions in her author’s note. Where do you see similar institutional failures affecting vulnerable populations today?

3. Several characters navigate between Nigerian and American cultural expectations, particularly around marriage and motherhood. These expectations create internal conflicts for women like Chia and Zikora as they try to define success on their own terms. In what other contemporary contexts do you observe women balancing traditional expectations with personal ambitions?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel alternates between first-person and third-person narration, depending on the character focus. What effect does this narrative choice have on your understanding of each woman’s story and their relationship to their own experiences?

2. Memory serves as both refuge and burden for the characters throughout the novel. Which character’s relationship with memory did you find most compelling?

3. Symbols like Omelogor’s “Robyn Hood Fund” and Zikora’s son Chidera represent different aspects of hope and redemption. Which symbolic elements did you find most effective in conveying the novel’s themes?

4. The structure of Dream Count braids together four women’s narratives. This technique creates connections between seemingly separate lives while highlighting their individual struggles. What purpose does this narrative approach serve in developing the novel’s exploration of friendship?

5. Time moves fluidly throughout the novel, with characters often drifting between past and present. Looking at Chia’s sections specifically, why might Adichie have chosen to bookend the novel with her perspective?

6. Adichie’s exploration of voice and silence in Dream Count parallels themes from her earlier work Half of a Yellow Sun. Where do you see the most significant development of this theme, especially regarding who gets to speak, who is silenced, and who is believed?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine a sixth section of the novel told from the perspective of a minor character like Binta or Jide. What insights might this additional viewpoint bring to the overall narrative?

2. The novel ends with Chia choosing to stay present with Kadi and Binta rather than updating her friends. Create an epilogue that follows these characters five years after this moment. How might their relationships have evolved?

3. Consider the “dream count” concept that Chia and Zikora discuss. This idea invites us to reflect on our own significant experiences. If you were to compile your own dream count of meaningful moments, which experiences would you include and why?

Need more inspiration for your next meeting? Browse all of our Book Club Resources.