What Napoleon Could Not Do

Nnuro debuts with an engrossing saga of two Ghanaian siblings and their shared desire to make it in America. Belinda, the brighter and more tenacious of the two, moves to the U.S. for college in the late 1980s, becomes a lawyer, and marries Wilder, a wealthy Black businessman. Belinda’s older brother, Jacob, stays behind in Ghana and seethes with jealousy. He has no financial stability, and his love life is stymied by his preferences for S&M relationships. Belinda tries to help him out by setting him up with her former roommate, Patricia, and though the two never meet, they end up getting married, and for a while, Jacob is hopeful. As he tries to secure a visa so he can be with Patricia in Virginia, Belinda’s green card application keeps getting delayed. After Jacob is twice rejected for a visa, his old jealousy returns, unaware as he is of Belinda’s struggle not just with the green card process but also with a husband whose experience of being Black in the U.S. challenges her glorified view of the country. Nnuro explores a range of themes, from familial bonds to sexuality, racism, and the pitfalls of the colonized mindset. This author has much to offer. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment. (Feb.)