In this post, we are going to summarise Pede Hollist’s novel, So the Path Does Not Die, from chapters twenty-one to twenty-five.
Chapter 21 Summary
In Chapter 21 of So the Path Does Not Die, Edna throws a celebration to her new house. Guests and African dishes graced the event. A family-like discussion sets in. Fina reveals her future intention to travel home and train young girls to be independent. Cammy laughs amidst discomfort. He diverts the discussion with a term ‘diaspora complex.’ Bayo defends their intentions (his and Fula’s) to home and equates personal prosperity to service to fatherland.
Matters on fatherland and perspectives are sustained. Aman declares she’s possibly from Kru people in Liberia and Ivory Coast, as she has found out in a DNA test. Fina teases Cammy of his black root too, proposing a test.
The discussion goes on until a misunderstanding erupts between Cammy and Kizzy. Kizzy calls him names. Cammy avoids him until Kizzy let out his past affair with Fina.
Chapter 22 Summary
Back home, Fina calmly narrates how Kizzy had sexually assaulted her while in college. Cammy takes in lightly. Fina apologies for her past frequent intrusion. Cammy takes over and retells a line from his rueful past. He tells her how he had accidentally killed a girl because he was drunk while driving. Scraps had deceptively died the issue down when the police probed it. Presently, Scraps uses the event to blackmail Cammy into consenting Kizzy as the culprit in the wedding-fight scene.
In the hospital scene, the Gibsons and Priddys meet together for the kidney transplant. Fina fortunately sees Anushka and boils within. Back in Cammy’s house, Anushka comes to wish him healthy recovery. She tells him the real version of the story over his accidental murder of a girl. Scraps was the driver when the incident happened but because they were all drunk, he switched his position with Cammy. Cammy rejoices at the new narrative. He tries calling Fina, only to discover she had gone back to her home country.
Chapter 23 Summary
In Chapter 23 of So the Path Does Not Die, Fina returns to Sierra Leone. She is surprised at the changes and displacement her country has went through due to the civil war. She embarks on a search for her grandmother through a recovery agency.
She later delivers a baby girl. Isa and her family join her subsequently. Fina works as part-time teacher a private nursery school. Svetlana, from the recovery agency, informs her of a found semblance of her grandmother. When she meets the blind old woman, she realises that Mama Yegbe isn’t her grandmother but she keeps in touch with the old woman and Mawaf, the girl who keeps the old woman’s company.
Later, a naming ceremony is conducted for Fina’s child by Mama Yegbe. Fina gets to know more about Mawaf, Ma Yegbe’s girl Friday, who tells Fina her refuge story during the civil war.
Chapter 24 Summary
With Svetlana’s help, Fina plans to adopt Mawaf. She still searches for Baramusu till her hope of a reunion is dashed. Her hope is again resuscitated by her new found family: Mama Yegbe, Mawaf, children of the center and Dimusu-Celeste, her daughter. She takes up a job offer at the orphanage institution.
Fina coincidentally meets Sidibe Kaykay and is surprised. Sidibe has aged a bit, and has sustained a scar in his hand from the ‘rebels.’ They talk at length, ranging from the departure of his wives, his torment in the hands of rebels, and the government mercenary intervention. He later proposes marriage to Fina.
Before this, Fina has updated Cammy on her situation. She has sent their daughter’s pictures to him. Cammy wants to come over but Fina objects, promising her return. She attends Aman’s wedding to Bayo in Lagos where they both meet again. They share thoughts about what each of them intends to do in the foreseeable future. Fina intends to settle in Freetown, as she finds fulfilment in what she does, which is catering for orphans.
At the wedding reception, Fina surprisingly hooks up with Cammy and Glen, an arrangement masterminded by Aman. Fina creates an embarrassing scene. Thanks to power outage which reunites the couple in perfect love.
While Fina unravels the story of her second daughter, Mawaf to Cammy, a stir erupts. The caretaker in charge of the reception hall demands from Bayo extra charges to fix the light. Bayo declines, rages, announces the end of the party. His relatives step in to redeem the matter.
Later, Fina and Cammy discuss their fate, confronted with misunderstanding over location, ambition, parenting, preferences and other differences. Fina suddenly discloses her rededication to Islam, which means that all there won’t be any sexual escapades between them, inasmuch they are unmarried. Cammy is not perturbed. He takes her to the dance floor. After the party, Fina takes Cammy to her place. Cammy and Glen return to America.
In the epilogue, it is shown that Cammy returns to live with Fina in Sierra Leone as he resolves not to leave the woman he loves, hence, he must encourage her ‘path.’
Other Chapters:
- Chapter 1 to 5 Summary of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Chapter 6 to 10 Summary of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Chapter 11 to 15 Summary of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Chapter 16 to 20 Summary of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
Further Reading:
- Memorable Quotes in Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Themes in Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Plot Summary and Setting of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Characters in Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Chapter by Chapter Summary of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
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