By ForKulture • May 13, 2026
Who is a woman? This is a question I think we’ll continue to answer forever. Definitions are endless. A woman is a helpmate. A woman’s place is in the kitchen. If anything I personally think there's no one way to be a woman. A woman is many things all at once.
As a title, The Son of the House comes off as a book about men but on a deeper level, it is a book about women proving themselves in a patriarchal society that often forces them to shrink.
This is Cheluchi Onyemelukwe’s debut—a thrilling, relatable and powerful attempt, I must say. The story chronicles the patriarchal system that shrinks women & how they must fight to find & prove themselves. Every chapter forces women to find a mirror, stand in front of it and sink into a reflective mood, searching for answers to endless questions.
Yes, a woman will marry this drunken brother of yours. For love; for money, though God knows best how he will ever make any; for his tall foolishness; or for children. Why? Because he is a man. With a penis between his legs. But you are a woman. With a womb which comes with an expiry date. (Pg. 133-134). This was Mama Afam’s resolution after Julie’s fight with her brother.
If anything, there's no one way to be a woman.