Expert In All Styles by I.O Echeruo
If you don’t already know I judge books by their covers. I didn’t like this cover very much so my expectations for the book were very low. I was sadly mistaken, word to Justin Bieber (if you don’t get the reference you’re probably not chronically online🤣) This book was a collection of short stories and EVERY single story was a hit. I can’t pick a favourite, the stories were diverse with varying characters, plots and impeccable writing all through. I’ve been having a really good streak with short story collections this year.
If you decide to pick this up, you’ll be transported to Borno, where a Doctor and his family enjoy Sundays at a country club decades before the rampancy of terrorist attacks; Eastern Nigeria, then Lagos, where a former cultist reunites with his gang from school and reflects on how differently they all turned out; Lagos, where a closeted and talented barber with past trauma has an interesting encounter with a wealthy man (The book’s title story). Shout out to the book section of a popular Nigerian department store that rhymes with Soprano. My impulsive, overpriced book purchases from their establishment have been worth it so far.
I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
I read this book for the first time in 2020 and absolutely loved it. I picked it up again almost 5 years later and my sentiments are a bit different. The storyline is quite easy to follow: Kingsley is the first son of 4 children with an Engineering degree and no job prospects. His family is wallowing in poverty with a terminally ill father. When tragedy befalls his family, he runs to his uncle, an infamous fraudster whom everyone refers to as “Cash Daddy”. Cash Daddy introduces Kingsley to his line of work and soon he becomes wealthier than he could have ever imagined. But is it ever that simple?
I saw someone on Tiktok say that the writing style of this book was unbearable. So many descriptions and metaphors were painfully exaggerated and I had to recoil sometimes. Cash Daddy’s character was the most interesting thing about this book by a landslide. He was over the top, hilarious and crass. I enjoy multifaceted characters. Because of how comical he was it is too easy to forget that he’s the mastermind of a criminal organisation.
I wish the book focused on more important details though, like painting clearer descriptions of Aba and Umuahia instead of talking about designer shoes every few pages. All in all, it was not a bad book. The discrepancy between the quality of Cash Daddy’s character and the writing should have been a disaster but it worked for me. I’m really looking forward to seeing the movie.
A Kind of Madness by Uche Okonkwo
I bought this book on a whim two weeks ago. I walked into a bookstore with the intention of window shopping but I saw this stunning book cover and couldn’t resist (I love flowers and pink).
I’ve learnt not to judge books by their covers but this collection of short stories was just as wonderful as the cover art. Every single story was a hit back to back. It’s very rare for me to see writers really capture the essence of their young protagonists. Most of the stories were about Nigerian children navigating and making sense of the world around them. The writer expertly wielded words that detailed the naïveté, mischief, innocence and confused curiousity of being really young. The stories resonated with my inner child and I enjoyed the pace, language and vivid descriptions. From a primary school girl becoming friends with her “special” classmate with a terminal disease to 7 & 10 year old siblings discovering their father’s adult tapes, every story was great with little to no notes. I can’t pick a favourite tbh, I’m just thankful to be out of my reading slump🙂↕️
God’s Children Are Little Broken Things by Arinze Ifeakandu
This book is a collection of short stories mostly set in Kano and Lagos. I read the story with the book’s title like 4 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Imagine my delight when I was running errands at Ebeano and saw the full short story collection in the book section. I’ve learnt to start books with low expectations (There’s no reason why a hobby I chose willingly should have the power to break my heart😭) That being said, God’s Children Are Little Broken Things exceeded my expectations. The storytelling and writing style got a bit 🤏🏾 cumbersome after a while but it was nothing crazy. The overall theme and synergy of the stories made up for it.
The stories followed various queer men navigating their sexuality and relationships. The characters were all so vivid and well described. They painted a clear picture on the vibrance of queerness in a country that is in constant denial of the fact that queer people exist and thrive: they lecture in universities, treat people in hospitals, make music and perform at sold out shows, hold positions in church, own shops, work in government offices, attend schools and of course marry women and start families. I always say that art is a form of protest. This book is a form of subtle protest by highlighting and preserving queer stories.
*not a review*
I read Steal Like an Artist earlier this month and it was a cute read. I’m not inclined towards motivational books but I actually learnt a few things from this and would recommend it. My plan was to only read Non-fiction in February but I got tired after this and picked a novel with a quickness😭 I’ll try again in November because the alliteration of “Non-fiction November” may be motivating. We’ll see
An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma
If you don’t know already, Chigozie Obioma is one of my favourite authors. The way he writes about masculinity, specifically violence as a medium used by men to express complex emotions like fear, grief and heartbreak, is quite reflective of society.
The main character in An Orchestra of Minorities, Chinonso, was full of juxtapositions. He was soft and naïve but also capable of extreme violence. He was an orphaned, barely educated poultry farmer that lived alone, had no friends and weak familial relationships. He poured all his love into his poultry farm and a few short lived sexual relationships but mostly kept to himself. On a drive back from the poultry market one day, he meets Ndali, who is standing on a bridge above water. He saves her life and eventually they fall in love. The problem is that Ndali is educated, well travelled and from a wealthy family. Naturally her family is against their relationship and belittle and embarrass Chinonso on multiple occasions.
Chinonso sells the little property he has and his beloved poultry farm so he can travel to Cyprus for school and prove himself to Ndali’s family. His plan ends up going terribly wrong and he returns many years later with nothing to show for it. Ndali, who hadn’t heard from him in years, has moved on and wants nothing to do with him. This “betrayal” coupled up with the feeling of intense failure and despair lead Chinonso to make a rash decision.
The best part of this book to me was the narrative style. The story was narrated by Chinonso’s chi (personal god) as he gave an account to the supreme god on everything his host had been through. His chi was sometimes hilarious and had his own personality seperate from Nonso. This narrative technique was a brilliant way to weave in Igbo cosmology without being too obvious. A brilliant book if you ask me.
For You I’d Steal a Goat by Niq Mhlongo🇿🇦
I read this book mid last year and loved it! It’s a collection of South African short stories which explore themes like queerness, xenophobia, infidelity and cultural practices. The writing was clean with meaningful details (just how I like it) and the stories and characters were intriguing. It’s hard for me to pick a favourite but I liked a story called “The Stalker” most. It was about a man who suspected his wife was cheating and followed her to a hotel only to discover the affair was with a woman. He called a family meeting hoping to disgrace her but no one believed him. It took a while for me to realize the stalker following this woman into a hotel was actually her husband and I loved it lol. The short story with the same title, however, was a bit underwhelming.
I know very little about South African culture and I appreciate the fact that the author didn’t write with people like me in mind. Instead, the book focused on great storytelling without dumbing down cultural nuances in order to spoon feed an unfamiliar audience. I had the opportunity to infer and research which, to me, is what reading about foreign cultures should be about. There were themes that were not so foreign because I’m Nigerian but the bottom line is that it was a great book and I highly recommend.
Wahala by Nikki May
This book is about three friends —Boo, Ronke and Simi — who had Nigerian dads and white British mums in common. Simi introduced her childhood friend, Isobel to her friendgroup and things start to go south almost immediately.
Boo was married with a 5 year old but was frustrated/tired of cleaning up after her husband and kid. She wanted some spice in her life and Isobel egged her on until she did something really stupid.
Simi was married to Martin, a rich model that rescued her during a dark time in her life. They seemed to have the perfect life. However, Simi struggled with imposter syndrome and traits of depression. She was also keeping a really big secret from her husband. She told her secret to Isobel, someone who she had no personal contact with since they fell out in primary school. So more or less a stranger. Isobel gathered dirt on everyone and caused major problems. She was such an annoying villain, always touching people and being a busy body. I wonder why they didn’t clock her tea quick.
Ronke was the most “Nigerian” out of all of them. How was she the most Nigerian? She made moi moi (which the book described in suspicious detail) and had the worst taste in men. I found it interesting that all the Nigerian men in the book, from the fathers to love interests and brothers, had all the negative traits while the white husbands did no wrong.
Honestly, the plot wasn’t bad but there was something so upsetting about the book. From the references to Lagos to the portrayal of Nigerian male characters to the emphasis on moi moi? The real Wahala was the writing. It was probably not written for Nigerians but reinforcing harmful stereotypes about Nigeria is definitely a choice.
