I Do Not Come to You by Chance

In I do not come to you by chance Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani intrigues us with the story of Kingsley Ibe, opara or first son of his family. Much like his highly educated Nigerian parents with Master level degrees from the UK, Kingsley has just graduated top of his class with a degree in Chemical Engineering.  Now armed with his spanking new degree, his dreams and his darling Ola, surely he would soon be working as a top executive at one of Nigeria's coveted oil companies. Except fate had ordained a different path.  His father falls ill and as opara he must do something fast. To make matters worse, his love life has suddenly turned sour. Desperate and desolate, he quickly realizes degrees and respectable character don't always translate into spendable currency. With no job offer in sight, he seeks the help of his Uncle Boniface a.k.a Cash Daddy who has made a killing engaging in internet fraud. Kingsley is faced with a choice that could change his life and the life of his family forever. In the end, this is a tale of choice, greed and survival.

Nwaubani's writing is endearing. Another talented writer I would be honored to have tea with. I highly recommend!

Rating: 4 bows

Happy 2016!

Whatever your dreams, I wish you fulfillment, joy and many reasons for gratitude in the New Year! 

Ghana Must Go

Taiye Selasi's Ghana Must Go is the poignant story of the Sai's, a Nigerian-Ghanaian family living in a wealthy neighborhood in Boston, US. Kweku Sai is a well respected "General Surgeon without equal, a knife-wielding artist."All was well until Kweku was unfairly laid off at the hospital. Unable to bear the shame, he abandons his wife and four children and moves to Ghana where he dies barefoot in his own garden.
Tackling questions of loss, regret, survival, the book goes on to tell the story of the Sai's family, how they cope and grapple with life in the absence of their father.

I wanted to love this book but I couldn't. While Selasi's writing was colorful and poetic, the plot left me wanting more. The book was a drag for me and I was desperate for it to end.

Rating: 2 bows

London Life Lagos Living

I first came across this book on Bellanaija  and was immediately charmed by the short documentary. In London Life Lagos Living Bobo Omotayo compiles several short stories, or private musings as he calls it, about life in Lagos. The author talks about love, politics, religion, fashion, music, lifestyle, domestic violence, tradition and more. I like how he gave voice to some of the questions I have wondered about..In one chapter, he questions Lagosians for their overuse of "Hello darling." I'm no Lagosian but I have a lot of Lagosian friends who suddenly started to darling (or darl or dear or honey) me in recent years.  No judgement but I too, wondered where this all came from. The jury is still out on this one. To make matters worse, I have also found myself "dearing" people in response. It was awkward at first but I think I'm beginning to get a hang of it. What is a girl to do?

Some chapters, though funny, seemed a little far-fetched for me. For instance, one chapter on dating chastises Lagos girls for their "behavioral patters" and he raises the following questions:

"Why do ladies play the high maintenance card yet don't want to be seen as a gold-digger? Why would you ask a man what's his seat number on a plane that you are not even on? Why would you suggest going shopping with him to see the type of stores he enters? Why would you struggle to get a table at the Nobu although you are unfamiliar with its cuisine?"

Maybe I just have yet to encounter these scenarios/human beings because when I did a little poll of friends I was told that these things do happen :O.
Overall, I enjoyed his writing--it was light hearted and quite entertaining. The photographs and pop-art illustrations were eclectic and added flavor to the stories. It would certainly make for a great coffee table book once I get that coffee table.

This book isn't available yet on Amazon but let's hope it pops up soon enough.

Rating: 3.5 bows

The Secret lives of Baba Segi’s Wives

Oh dear me. It has been a while, uh? I thought long and hard about how to describe the over-a-year silence. I'll just sum it up as life, laziness and wanderlust in no particular order. Nothing you aren't familiar with, I'm sure. Haha. The good news is that I am back (again) and I am excited to continue doing something I love! Looking forward to reading and sharing more reviews this summer! Here goes the first of this new bust…:)

Lola Shoneyin’s The Secret lives of Baba Segi’s Wives tells the story of Baba Segi and his four wives-- Iya Segi, Iya Femi, Iya Tope and Bolanle.  Baba Segi is a wealthy business man whose manhood is defined by his many wives and children. So when his most recent conquest, his beautiful and educated Bolanle, can’t conceive after two years of marriage, he is devastated. Something must be wrong with her womb-- after all, his three other wives have had no trouble conceiving. Determined to solve this problem, they consult a doctor. Little did they know that their quest to unravel one mystery would uncover many secrets and as Bolanle aptly put it "upturn the tranquility of their home."

It really is true what they say, those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

Shoneyin is a talented writer weaving in complex issues of family, love, polygamy and psychological and emotional distress of infertility in an African community. She goes to unexpected places with her complex and compelling characters while carrying the reader along. I really enjoyed her writing, especially her offbeat sense of humour and will be checking out her other works for sure!

This was one of the many books I picked up from Terra Kulture during my visit to Nigeria (a must visit if you are ever in Lagos, Nigeria).

Lucky for you, it is now available on Amazon. Click here

Rating: 4 bows

Still by Eniola Prentice

First I’d like to say, it was a great honor to have received Eniola Prentices’ request to review her debut novel. So, thank you so much for the privilege and congratulations again on your first book! I wish you every success both in your medical career and your book writing endeavors!

On to my review...

In Eniola Prentices’ novel, “Still,” it’s a fresh start in the lives of four young adults as they begin their medical school journey in the renowned Steldman College of Medicine. All four students share a common bond in that they are Nigerian. However, there is probably more to be said for their differences: Tayo is an alcoholic from a wealthy family; Nikky is a child prodigy with overbearing parents; Sola is a victim of her traumatic past and a dysfunctional home and; Ladi is a strong Christian whose faith enable him make lemonade with the lemons of life.

The story is told through the eyes of these enthusiastic medical students; we learn about their past, their transition into their new lives and get a glimpse of their hopes for the future. The intensity of medical school quickly spills into their personal lives and relationships...Friends and enemies are determined in the first few days of school, coping mechanisms are formed, secrets are unleashed and law of attraction come to play. You are right to be thinking: DRAMA!

Only a few pages into the story, we learn that Sola has a secret and this secret is a ticking time bomb with the potential to change the future for all of them. This is where the story reaches its climax for me. Naturally, I wanted to know the secret right away but don’t find out until the very end of the book. By then, I already formed a pretty good idea of what the secret might be so of course the suspense was deflated early on for me.

That said, Sola may have been my favorite of the main characters because there was some depth to her character and she seemed somewhat more mature than the others. Also, her journey of faith and seeming monologues with God are likely areas many can relate to. Finally, her mental health struggle is real so I definitely appreciate the author shedding some light on mental health issues given this is often a taboo topic in the African society.

Overall, I found the book somewhat half-baked and predictable. It was action packed in the sense there was so much going on but unfortunately the story and characters never evolved/developed enough to fully captivate the reader. I also don’t enjoy romance that much so the idea of a romance novel set in medical school was quite a leap for me. Nevertheless, I think “Still” is a story that asks some tough questions about forgiveness, God, faith and hope. So, I appreciate the overall message of the book and Prentices’ intent which I believe will come to light fully in the series to come. I hope there will be a clearer picture of faith and God’s redeeming grace!

Eniola is offering a giveaway to promote the release of her new book. Click Still raffle to enter for a chance to receive a free signed copy of Still , a $40 amazon gift card and a surprise gift :). Accepting entries until June 16th so hurry! ;)

Still is available on Amazon for only $2.99. Click here

Rating: 3 bows

Eyo by Abidemi Sanusi

Eyo is the heart wrenching story of a ten year old girl sold into slavery by her own parents.

The story opens with a disturbing scene in Eyo’s neighborhood in Jungle city, a poverty stricken slum in Lagos, Nigeria. Jungle city “had a reputation for being the most violent, notorious, and criminal ghetto in Nigeria...It had narrow, untarred streets, winding alleys, and shanty settlements and stood defiant on reclaimed marshes, surrounded by decomposing garbage, burning wood, and rotting animal carcasses—the latter being remains from the abattoir on the fittingly named Malu (Cow) Road, the entryway into Jungle City.”

This was Eyo’s home. She occupied a one bedroom “face-me-i-face-you” apartment with her parents and two younger siblings. Every morning, she woke up before sunrise to bathe and prepare for yet another day of hawking ice water with her little brother. One morning her mother informed her of a decision that would change her life forever. Both her parents had agreed that her uncle take her to London, the land where dreams turned into reality. There, she would have a better life. She would be with white people and learn new things. She would go to school. All promises she could never even dream of in Jungle city. She would be stupid to give up such an opportunity. Or so she was made to believe.   

Leaving behind her younger sister and brother, Eyo boards a plane to the UK (pronounced “Uukay” by Eyo) filled with hopes and dreams of a better life. Soon after she arrives in the UK, Eyo realized she was in for a total shock. After several months of physical and sexual abuse while working as a domestic help, Eyo is eventually sold to sex traffickers who specialized in child sex trafficking. The years of sexual abuse as a young child rendered her “super-experienced”  for her age and fueled demand for Eyo by many customers.

This was not the “Uukaay” Eyo was promised. In the ensuing chapters, life loses meaning as she is passed from one heartless sex trafficker to another. She got through some days by pretending to be a robot in efforts to protect herself from the unimaginable life that has become her own. She did only that which was required of her and tried hard not to feel anything. But is this possible?

Sanusi does a phenomenal job communicating very raw and intricate emotions as Eyo transforms from a ten year old into a teenager, evolving from African flower to African Lolita to Jungle Girl. With every turn of a page, I found myself wanting to reach out and pull Eyo out of the story. I cringed over and over and over. It took me months to write this review as I was afraid of stirring my emotions plus I didn't think my review would do this book justice. But, the worst part was the helplessness I felt knowing that there are thousands of Eyos' out there who can’t find their way.  Writing this review is my little way of contributing and I hope you will be inspired to make a difference and fight for the rights of Eyos' around the world.

I particularly love how at the end of the book, Sanusi empowers her readers with an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children like Eyo by visiting /http://www.afruca.org/ to campaign against the trafficking of African children to the UK.

I encourage you to at least check out this website even if you aren’t up to reading such a charged book. Remember, knowledge is power.

Eyo is available on Amazon. Click here

Rating: 5 bows