Saturday, July 16, 2011

DAY 3: A BOOK I LOVE

This third day is a bit hard for me because I'm a voracious reader. I would read anything, the back of an orange juice carton, pieces of news over people's shoulder (I'm the annoying person, perched on your shoulder, reading your book, looking all shady like Rumpelstiltskin...yes...I'm ashamed....no....I won't stop) I've read books in all the genres; from autobiographies, to erotica, to thrillers, to crime, to religious books.

Lately though, I've been getting into African authors a lot. Thanks to the good people at Cassava Republic, I've entered a whole new world of writers that look like me and feel the same things I'm feeling. It has been exhilarating. I'm currently reading Tropical Fish by Doreen Baingana, an author of Ugandan descent. Cassava Republic is doing a great job. Apart from Chimamanda Adichie who is currently the darling of the literal world, I'm now aware of other Nigerians doing it and doing it big; Teju Cole, Abidemi Sanusi, Sade Adeniran to name a few, who are keeping the flame of Nigerian Literature alive, continuing the task started by literary giants like Wole Soyinka and Cyprian Ekwensi to name a few

However, the book that has just blown me away was written by Adaobi Patricia Nwaubani an author based in Lagos. The book is titled 'I do not come to you by chance'


The book is essentially about the scourge that is the advanced fee fraud perpetuated by Nigerians known popularly as 'yahoo-yahoo' or '419'. Adaobi tells the story of a young man whose family fortunes have come crashing down but whose parents are taking the moral high ground by not seeking assistance from their wealthy relative whose wealth derives from '419'. But when things take a turn for the worse and the head of the household becomes terribly ill, the young man, Kingsley or Kings as he's fondly referred to, turns to his uncle for help and thus, we are introduced into the world of the '419' like never seen before.

Adaobi performed the herculean task of making these people perceived as criminals seem lovable and you become almost sympathetic to their plight. The villain of the whole piece, King's uncle popularly called 'Cash daddy' becomes the guy you are rooting for.
It is a beautifully written book that opens your mind to a different aspect of what goes on in the underbelly of society and I applaud Adaobi Patricia Nwaubani on her debut novel. It is a masterclass in fine and creative writing. I absolutely love this book.

2 comments:

  1. I have heard about this book. I heard it is really nice. I am not sure I would like the idea of making criminals lovable sha, even though I do it sometimes.
    I hope to be a great writer one day

    ReplyDelete
  2. seen this book, never read it, maybe i should remedy that

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