The Girl with the Louding Voice, 2020, Abi Daré ****

Sometimes a book title alone is enough to make you pause. And then, a few pages in, you realise it has delivered on every promise it made. Abi Daré's debut novel introduces us to Adunni, a girl born and raised in a small village near Lagos, Nigeria. She loses her mother young, her father dismisses her hunger for education without a second thought, and she is married off as a teenager before she even has the chance to understand what womanhood might mean on her own terms. Raped and crushed by one calamity after another, she eventually finds herself in a car headed for Lagos, and it is precisely at that moment that this novel truly ignites. 

Once the city enters the picture, so does a whole constellation of characters, and Daré handles them with the confidence of someone who knows this world intimately, its textures, its hypocrisies, its warmth, its cruelty. At its core, this is a novel about what poverty and the absence of education do to a

Dream Count, 2025, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ****

Dream Count is the story of four women Chiamaka, Zikora, Kadiatou and Omelogor and from the very first pages, I felt like I had been invited into their private group chat. The kind where ambition, heartbreak, pride and vulnerability all sit at the same table.

Chiamaka is born into wealth and raised in comfort, yet she chooses the uncertain life of a travel writer. She circles the globe while dating vigorously, convinced that somewhere between boarding gates and hotel lounges she will meet the man who completes her story. Zikora, her friend who migrates from Nigeria to the United States, is a sharp corporate lawyer. She wants the wedding of her dreams, the husband of her dreams and the perfectly curated family life. At the same time, she is carrying the quiet ache of wanting to reconcile with her mother. Kadiatou’s story is the one that lingers. Born poor in Guinea Conakry, she becomes Chiamaka’s help. After being raped in a VIP hotel room by a

Bitter Honey, 2025, Lola Akinmade ****

Bitter Honey by Lola Akinmade is a historical fiction novel that follows the life of Nancy, a young Gambian girl with big dreams who migrates to Sweden, only to have those dreams quietly crushed by someone meant to guide her: her university professor. As I read, I could feel the weight of that single moment echo through the rest of her life. The story traces how that derailed ambition stunts her growth and shapes the woman she becomes, influencing everything from her sense of self to the way she raises her children, especially her daughter.

One thing that stood out to me is how Akinmade weaves Nancy’s personal journey into a broader historical landscape. The backdrop of Olof Palme’s assassination, Eurovision, and the Arab Revolution gives the story a textured, time-anchored feel without ever overwhelming the main narrative. It’s history used purposefully, not decoratively.

Despite the heavy themes, the writing itself is far from heavy. It’s an easy, accessible read with a plot that flows smoothly and has all the ingredients of a TV-worthy soap opera; family tension, ambition, heartbreak, identity, and the quiet tragedies that shape us. What struck me the most was

Travellers, 2019, Helon Habila *****

The main character whose name is not mentioned, leaves Nigeria to complete a phD thesis in the U.S.A, he marries an American, not the way his parents would have expected. However, one thing leads to another and he drifts around. This novel narrates on the people he meets along the way while travelling.

In Berlin, he meets Mark,  deep and mystical, a Malawian student with an expired visa dodging deportation. He comes across  Manu and his daughter Rachida, Libyans  who survive the

When We Speak of Nothing, 2017, Olumide Popoola ***

I am not really into the "new release fever", I basically read what I can set my hands on. However, I bought "When We Speak of Nothing" by Olumide Popoola when I visited Atlantis Books  in Santorini. I had no idea who the writer was, however, I know the publishing house Cassava Republic  based in Nigeria and I've been longing to read more books published by them, so, coming across this novel was an opportunity.

This book is about many things and nothing in particular. Nevertheless, it emphasizes on the life of Karl, born Carla, by a Nigerian father and British mother in England. He lives with his mother and never met his father before. After some ups and downs in his relationship with his mother, he decides to travel to Portharourt in search of his father. What arouse my interest is first and foremost, the gender identity in a Nigerian (African) literature, a topic that Olumide addresses so

The Fishermen, 2015, Chigozie Obioma ****

I met Chigozie Obioma in person when he was invited to Barcelona for his book promotion in Spanish and Catalan. I haven't read his book then, we took a picture together and I found his speech, questions and answers interesting. Click here for more info regarding his visit to my city.

Chigozie is a stellar storyteller and writer, another talented novelist full of promises from Nigeria,"The Fishermen" is only his debut novel, in spite of its accolades, I

Thorns and Roses, 2017, Amaka Azie ****

Thorns and Roses is the story of Ifeoma, struggling to balance her love life with her independence. She and her sisters are brought up in an abusive house hold. They flee, determined to start afresh in Lagos. In a situation where emotional damage has been done, will they succeed? Or will they just fail as their father has always predicted?

There is nothing as refreshing  as to read a good book about Nigerians who live in Nigeria with no intention of emigrating. Almost every book I have read so far this year is about the African immigrant and the African diaspora, do not get me wrong, as I believe that their stories too

Happiness, Like Water 2013, Chinelo Okparanta ****

Happiness, Like Water is a collection of ten short stories that I enjoyed, in general. 

"Happiness is like water. We're always trying to grab onto it, but it's always slipping between our fingers. And my fingers are thin. With lots of gaps in between"

The main theme of the stories is the mother-daughter relationship. Are mothers always qualified enough to dictate the course of their daughter's life? I find it somewhat worrisome that the female child should live up to her mother's heart desire, even if that means sacrificing her own happiness. At the end of the day, the main aim is to bring up girls who are decision makers, who know how to live up to their own heart content.

The stories that I really enjoyed are:

A Bit of Difference, 2012, Sefi Atta ****

One of the reasons why I have not read this book for a long time is because of its low ratings on Goodreads and Amazon. My interest rekindled when I reviewed Americanah and one my readers said it is the same story line as A Bit of Difference by Seffi Atta. However, I wonder why it is so low rated. Most readers say it is because of the writing style, let me tell you, there is nothing wrong with the writing style it is just different and does not complicate the comprehension of the story. Some say that they do not like the ending, however, it is a typical open-ended story that does not deserve those low ratings.

A Bit of Difference is similar to Americanah, it talks  about racism, hair, love, immigration, family matters, homosexuality and nothing in particular. Seffi Atta intervened in the telling of the story and would not let

Blogger Spotlight: Incessant Scribble

Incessant Scribble is an African Literary blog owned by Osondu Nnamdi Awaraka born in Lagos, grew up in Port Harcourt and then moved to Houston, Texas where he currently blogs from. He is a graduate from Texas A&M with a Doctor of Pharmacy, will be a licensed pharmacist once he is done with his board exams.

In your blog introduction you said I was born in Lagos, Nigeria in the late 1980's…. I immigrated to America in March 2009… Do you look forward to returning to Nigeria?

Yes, I do! I haven’t been back to Nigeria since I left. My plan was to focus on getting my degree and then go back to visit. I’ll plan my trip once I’m done with my board exams.

What inspired you to start your blog?

I started Incessant Scribble because I wanted to share my writings. I had been writing for some time and I would always show it to my friends and family but I wanted a broader audience. I was initially worried that I wouldn’t be able to blog frequently enough and all the other fears of the unknown but my friend Onyeka Nwelue really, really encouraged me to start. 

How did you fall upon the name “Incessant Scribble”? incessantly scribbling :-), I love it by the way. What does it stand for for you?

Thank you! It spoke to what I felt I wanted to do with my life. To constantly write stories. It’s a need. And even when I’m not jotting down my stories (like during my college years when I was so consumed with school work), I’m constantly just mentally sorting out my stories till I can put them down on paper. 

For how long have you been blogging and for how long do you look forward to book blogging?

I’ve been blogging since March 2008. I plan to keep blogging until my tenth anniversary in March 2018 at the very least. I hope to keep blogging after then but there is only so much time an individual has and so many projects and journeys I hope to embark on in this life. It’s something I’ll figure out in detail as I get closer to March 2018. 

What is the highest amount of book you’ve read in a year? 

Sadly, I don’t have a number for that. I’m so good at keeping tabs on everything but that isn’t something that I’ve bothered with. There are years when I read books without even reviewing them so my literary blog isn’t a reliable guide either. 

How many books did you read last year?

I read and reviewed 16 novels in 2015. 

In your introduction, you said that you got two more years to try and accomplish the literary goals I've always hoped ...... what are those literary goals? Are you close to accomplishing them?

An Image of Africa, 2002, Chinua Achebe ****

An Image of Africa is a collection of essays by the legendary Chinua Achebe. I have his other collection of (extensive) essay called The Education of a British-Protected Child first published in 2009, which I highly enjoyed. Both books were purchased in Spain, Barcelona and San Sebastian respectively.

This collection of essay is divided into two parts: one is "An Image of Africa"; Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness  and the other is "The Trouble with Nigeria".

The first part gives a historical perspective of the relationship of Europeans with Africans.

Africa as setting and back drop which eliminates the African as

Beast of No Nation, 2005, Uzodinma Iweala ****

"Beast of No Nation" is the story of Agu a child-soldier whose narrative has a lot in common with  Birahima's in "Allah is not Obliged", both narrators not older than ten were unable to tell their ordeal in a grammatical correct language, nevertheless it was no deterrent to put their message across. However, let me confess  it somewhat slowed down my reading as they were both children narrating atrocities in an unstructured language which makes it  necessary to reread sometimes.

Agu's village is ravaged by war, his mother

Becoming Abigail, 2006, Chris Abani ****

Becoming Abigail is the story of  Abigail whose mother died during her birth, her father who couldn't bear the loss of his wife falls into depression. During one of his melancholic sadness he accepts that Abigail would go with her cousin Mary and her husband to the UK as a way of making sure she gets a brighter future.

Unfortunately, a brighter future is not what awaits Abigail in England, instead she is exploited and dehumanised and as a result finds herself in the throes of death, her ability to survive would determine her fate.

Chris Abani's prose as usual is lucid, compelling and graceful. Becoming Abigail

Yoruba Girl Dancing, 1991, Simi Bedford ***

1950, Nigeria is on the edge of independence, Remi's father wants her daughter to be one of the leaders of the country and so decides to send her to England to get a proper English training. That is the story of Remi, Yoruba Girl Dancing, the trauma of her uprooting at the age of 6 from her sunny home in Lagos to a gloomy, cloudy and rainy England.

...Then as the sound of her footsteps retreated, fueled by undiluted terror, I started to scream. Nobody came. Eventually I fell asleep. I was six years old and I had been in England four days.

Remi, is left in boarding School in England for a whole six years without contact with

Madam's Maid & Other Stories, 2016, Ayibu Makolo ***

This  is a collection of short stories, let me say the first story, Madam's Maid is more of a novella,  and the rest Invisible, A Trip to Jamaica, The Point of View are relatively, short stories.

In Nigeria there is a widespread social approval of the use of children from poorer families as house maids. To say that these children are treated with disregard is to say the least. More often than not, they are abused and enslaved, by so doing denying them their right to be children. The worst part of the situation is that it has become an established standard of behaviour to which everyone is expected to conform. Madam's Maid is the story of a young girl who lost her father, the only breadwinner of the family, as a result her mother sent her to the city to a madam (a family friend supposedly) where she almost lost her belongingness.

Another disturbing situation about the country narrated on in the book is the reckless driving of state governors travelling in convoys. For instance, Festus Iyayi,

Oil on Water, 2010, Helon Habila ***

Oil on Water is a story that could be read from different perspectives. The first  would be how to become a journalist in Nigeria. The second a glimpse into the life of European expatriates working in the oil industry in the Niger-Delta. The last and most important in my opinion is the oil pollution in the Niger-Delta. I find it agonising to learn how oil is recklessly siphoned off by western oil companies without caring about the people that live on the land.
Let me go with the words of late Ken Saro Wiwa to describe the situation for you;

• A blighted country and atmosphere full of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.
• Polluted streams, creeks and rivers without fish.
• High-pressure pipeline crisscrossing the surface of farmlands  and villages dangerously 

If you'd like to read more about this ecological disaster I strongly recommend A Month and a Day: A Detention Diary by Ken Saro Wiwa.

Investigation is carried out, the oil companies say they do care, and as a matter of fact they

This House is Not for Sale, 2015, E.C. Osondu **

A year ago, I wrote about the release of this book, click here to read. I so looked forward to reading it that when I had the opportunity to purchase it, I did so without hesitating. 

However, I realized it really was not my cup of my tea. I tried forcing myself to read on but my mind keeps on whirling away. First of all, it is not a novel per se, it is a

Every Day is for the Thief, 2007, Teju Cole *****

Let me start with saying  that I tremendously enjoyed reading this book, I'd love to read it again. The delicacy of Teju's writing is inspiring and impressive. I'd love to write like that.  

Some people think that this is his second published work after Open City (I am yet to read), in fact, Every Day is for the Thief is his debut novel first published in Nigeria by Cassava Republic Press 

This book reads like a journal entree about a young man who visits Nigeria after living in the USA for over a decade. His first entry starts with how he already started feeling the stress and pressure of Nigeria at its embassy. In order to have things done and on time make sure you have a box full of money! And that is only the beginning of what he has to tell us.

When one gets used to the basic way of living in the west, it is difficult to adjust to life in the city of Lagos, unless

Nights of the Creaking Bed, 2008, Toni Kan ****

Nights of the Creaking Bed is a collection of short stories by the Nigerian writer, Toni Kan. It consists of 14 short stories, one thing I find out all the stories have in common are their tragic ending, abuse and sexual content. But then again, despite the progress and development in Nigeria, sadly, issues like this are still recurrent.

The first story, same as the title of the book;

Nights of the Creaking Bed: is the story of a widow who preferred her bed to creak to loving her own children. told through the voice of one of her sons.

I enjoyed reading all of the stories, however, I'd like to comment on the ones that somewhat moved me in no order of preference.

The Passion of Pololo: A son caught his mother being unfaithful to his father, the image bothered him so much that in order to assuage the guilt, he decided to do the unthinkable. 

The Echo of Silence: is a breath of fresh air, it felt good to read about a funny situation after all the drama and the creaking of beds.

My Perfect Life: I find this story really entertaining in the sense that, generally, African women are viewed as if they do not really care about sex, love and the details. That they are only interested in being successful, carrier wise (those who can), finding a husband who cares for them and their children, it does not really matter if they love him in return. This story proves it all wrong, it rather reveals that the Nigerian woman

The Spider King's Daughter, 2012, Chibundo Onuzo ***

Let me start with saying it is a story about a rich man in Lagos, who got rich suspiciously. He is intimidatingly powerful, which makes the way he runs his household very questionable as well.

His presumptuous daughter Abike falls for a hawker, who use to belong to the Nigerian affluent middle class. What she did not know is that her father has a hand in the hawker's current situation by doing away with his father's life, the main breadwinner and the one who pays the bills. Will the hawker take this opportunity to avenge his father's death or