ABSTRACT
One of the strengths of Yaou’s writing is her gift for creating sympathetic characters plagued with a fatal flaw. In Lîzou Marie, for example, Marie’s penchant for luxury contributes to her final downfall, while Anka’s intransigence in Aihui Anka leads to a similar end. In her novels, Yaou also offers an interesting study of the difficulties of adjusting to different milieus, whether her characters are moving from a rural to an urban setting or vice versa. In addition, her novels offer fascinating depictions of culture and customs-burial customs among the Alladians of the Cëte d’Ivoire, matrilineal inheritance practice, and African foods, to mention only a few.
