“Hold it gently, this hungry beast that is your heart.” Butter Honey Pig Bread explores the complex relationship two sisters who were once close but have become estranged as adults. Their mother, Kambirinachi, believes that she is an Ogbanje, a malevolent spirit who haunts mothers by ‘coming’ and ‘going’ (usually the child dies in childhood). […]
More“With no words, Yeyemi says, I am the strength and fire in you, I am everything that is and was and every will be. You are the stuff my stars are made of. I am you and you are me.” An Ordinary Wonder tells a moving coming of age, one that will definitely appeal to […]
MoreChimamanda Ngozi Adichie once again showcases her beautiful in Zikora. The story begins with the titular character, Zikora, who is about to give birth. The father of her soon to be born child is not there with he left her months prior, after she hinted at the possibility of being pregnant. As Zikora goes into […]
More“Are you traveling in Europe?” he asked. I caught the odd phrasing. Of course I was traveling in Europe, but I understood he meant something else; he wanted to know the nature of my relationship to Europe, if I was passing through or if I had a more permanent and legal claim to Europe. A […]
MoreTreasure is a short story story that explores the darker side of Instagram fame. Treasure is an aspiring influencer who is quite willing to present a glamorised version of her life to her follower. She likes the attention, the compliments, and the devotion of her fans. User @Sho4Sure has become particularly obsessed by Treasure and […]
More“Ayoola lives in a world where things must always go her way. It’s a law as certain as the law of gravity.” Having read this novel twice I can safely say that I find it to be an exceptionally riveting read: once I start it, I just want to keep reading.My Sister, the Serial Killer […]
MoreThe Death of Vivek Oji is an enthralling novel. Akwaeke Emezi’s lyrical prose is by turns evocative, sensual, and heart-wrenching. With empathy and understanding Emezi writes about characters who are grappling with grief and otherness, as well as with their gender identity and sexuality. “Did it feel like terror? More like horror, actually. Terrible sounded […]
MoreSpeak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala ★★★✰✰ 3 of 5 stars Uzodinma Iweala’s prose is both swift and elegant; there is something compelling about the way in which he phrases things, there is a rhythm to his writing. This deceptively short novel is rather heavy going. The summary is somewhat misleading, making it seem that we […]
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