Africa books Archives - Where to Kim? https://wheretokim.com/tag/africa-books/ From curiosity to inspiration to action Mon, 15 May 2023 09:58:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://wheretokim.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cropped-Wheretokim-logo-1-32x32.jpg Africa books Archives - Where to Kim? https://wheretokim.com/tag/africa-books/ 32 32 Review: Gaslight by Femi Kayode https://wheretokim.com/review-gaslight-femi-kayode/ https://wheretokim.com/review-gaslight-femi-kayode/#respond Mon, 06 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://wheretokim.com/?p=12333 Murder or suicide? Follow Philip Taiwo on his investigation in Gaslight by Femi Kayode: a book with realistic characters set in Nigeria.

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Murder or suicide? Follow Philip Taiwo on his investigation in Gaslight by Femi Kayode: a book with realistic characters set in Nigeria.

Location: Lagos and Ibadan in Nigeria

Gaslight synopsis

‘We know you know. Talk and you’re next.’
 
Bishop Jeremiah Dawodu, pastor of a Nigerian megachurch, has been arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, Folasade, the ‘First Lady’ of the church. The arrest was public, humiliating and sensational – sending shockwaves through Lagos – but throughout it all, Bishop Dawodu maintains his innocence.
 
Philip Taiwo, an acclaimed investigative psychologist, is asked by his sister, a member of the church’s congregation, to clear the pastor’s name. With no actual body, it looks to be a simple case and despite Philip’s dislike of organised religion, he agrees to take it on as a favour to his sister. Then the First Lady’s body is found in a nearby lake just as Philip’s beloved family come under attack from someone warning him off the case, and he realises that nothing to do with this investigation will be straightforward.
 
Was it murder or suicide? Is someone framing the Bishop or the First Lady?

Book review

4/5

Gaslight revolves around the investigation of a murder case in Nigeria. The story begins when the protagonist, Philip Taiwo, is asked by his younger sister to help solve the case of the Bishop’s missing wife, while her husband is the prime suspect. As Philip delves deeper into the investigation, he begins to uncover secrets and lies that threaten to tear apart the religious community.

Delaying tactics

Femi Kayode introduces the case in the first few chapters and keeps the plot moving at a slow but pleasant pace. The second italics intermezzo promises an interesting investigation with plenty of counteractions. This is a good way to hook readers. The author likes to distract the reader by not having the narrator immediately follow-up on leads, even though both the narrator and the reader know that it is dangerous to delay. This creates a sense of tension and urgency that makes you keep turning the pages. As with the previous book, the Nigerian setting is what piqued my interest. I don’t know how things ‘work’ there, so I am learning along with the narrator.

Realistic characters and Nigerian setting

All the characters in Gaslight feel like real people, and I enjoyed reading about the families of Philip and Chika. There is not one brilliant hero; depending on their type of involvement and influenced by personal circumstances and a new sense of self, characters alternate between being very active and rather passive. The way in which this is balanced adds to the realism of the story.

Philip’s thoughts are detailed, but some thoughts feel too obvious (telling after showing), while others come out of the blue (considering seeking outside help for his daughter before the reader knows what’s going on). He is always so sure about his observations of other people, and this certainty is what sets his point of view apart from narrators in other books. Although this sounds like he should be regarded as obnoxious, somehow it is okay because it is Philip Taiwo.

Final thoughts

The denouement of the plot won’t come as a surprise, but the journey toward the moment when it all becomes clear is worth following. The realistic portrayal of the characters and the setting, along with the well-paced plot, make Gaslight a comfortable and relaxing read that is worth picking up.

Interested?

Pre-order Gaslight from Amazon (available 9 November 2023).

Can’t wait to read a thriller set in Nigeria? Check out the first Philip Taiwo book: Lightseekers.

Book details

Title: Gaslight
Author: Femi Kayode
Language: English
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Pages: 400
ISBN (13): 9781526617637
Publication date: 9 November 2023

Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Gaslight by Femi Kayode

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]]> https://wheretokim.com/review-gaslight-femi-kayode/feed/ 0 Most interesting and engaging books of 2021 https://wheretokim.com/most-interesting-and-engaging-books-of-2021/ https://wheretokim.com/most-interesting-and-engaging-books-of-2021/#respond Mon, 13 Dec 2021 15:00:00 +0000 https://wheretokim.com/?p=11133 What are the best new books in 2021? And how about surprisingly good older gems? A year of reviewing books led me to some very engaging books.

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What are the best new books in 2021? And how about surprisingly good older gems? A year of reviewing books led me to some very engaging books.

These are my highlights and surprises of 2021. While I haven’t read all books that were published – not even all of the popular ones – I found many engaging books among those that I did read.

A year of reading and reviewing books… I read over 100 books this year and reviewed half of them. Many of the books I read are now on my new book lists about China, Taiwan, Austria, Korean short story collections and Japanese short story collections.

Last year I identified some blindspots, namely books originating from or set in Africa and South America. While my reading activity for these parts of the world have not been overwhelming, I did read a few books from there: When We Cease to Understand the World (writer living in Santiago de Chile), Remote Control (set in Ghana), At Night All Blood is Black (writer from Senegal) and Bakhita (set in Sudan).

Back to 2021. Many of the books I read were released in 2021 or will be released in 2022. But aside from my more recent picks, I also read some classics or other books that are still getting a lot of attention around the world. Some of it deserved, the rest – in my eyes – baffling. That’s what is so great about the vast amount of books that exist in the world: there is a ‘right’ book for everyone. 

I see it as my mission to raise awareness of all the good stories that exist in this world.

So here they come: the best, most engaging, unique, and inspiring stories of 2021.

Dare to feel

My Wow books of 2021

Mysterious islands: Leone Ross - Popisho
  1. Popisho by Leone Ross (Review): a magical and sensual, yet down-to-earth story that only Popisho natives will fully understand. Such an entertaining story.
  2. Three-Body Problem trilogy by Liu Cixin (I didn’t review this one, check it out on Amazon). This series blew my mind: the scope is immense. Unsurprisingly, the books by Liu Cixin made it to the top of my science fiction book list.
  3. Bolla by Pajtim Statovci (Review): I was really impressed by the writing style (in translation). The narrator’s feelings were expressed in a beautiful and touching way.

Exploring new horizons

  • At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop (Amazon): a powerful and gruesome novel about a Senegalese man who fought as a soldier in the French army during World War I.
  • Bakhita: A Novel of the Saint of Sudan by Véronique Olmi (Amazon): a book set in Sudan and Italy by the author of one of my favorite books, Beside the Sea. I didn’t particularly like the writing style in Bakhita, but the story was interesting.
  • Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor (Review): a magical journey through Ghana that you can’t even remotely control.
  • Soviet milk by Nora Ikstena (Amazon): a story about the influence of Soviet rule on individual lives in Latvia.

Into science this year?

  • When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut (Amazon): a blend of fiction and essay about the good and the bad that led to scientific advances in the 20th century. And about the minds and lives of those that came up with them.
  • Saving Schrödinger’s Cat by Mark Jenkins (Review): Schrödinger is back again (he also plays a role in the book by Benjamín Labatut).
  • The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson (Amazon): I read this one because I wanted to know more about RNA. I was also interested in the ethical aspects of curing genetic diseases and to what extent it should be allowable to improve DNA.
  • Future Bright, Future Grimm by D.J. MacLennan (Review): explore what happens if you use scientific progress to allow time to move on in a fairy tale realm.
  • Three-Body Problem trilogy by Liu Cixin (Amazon). This series blew my mind: the scope is immense. Unsurprisingly, the books by Liu Cixin made it to the top of my science fiction book list.

Identity

LGBTQ+

Bolla by Pajtim Statovci
  • Bolla by Pajtim Statovci (Review): I was really impressed by the writing style (in translation). The narrator’s feelings were expressed in a beautiful and touching way.
  • Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park (Review): I love how his spirit and energy changed over the course of the book. The author portrays the gradual character transformation very convincingly.
  • The Membranes by Chi Ta-wei (Review): shows a future in which intimacy, experiences, and identity are fluid.
  • To the Warm Horizon by Choi Jin-young (Review): a dystopian story about two strangers growing close and showing affection despite their hardships.
  • Last Words from Montmartre and Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin: two classics from Taiwan about the passionate relationships between (queer and lesbian) people. You need to be in the mood for these books. 

Contemplative and mesmerizing

The Mountain Whisperer by Jia Pingwa
  • The Mountain Whisperer by Jia Pingwa (Review): this book is pure and warm, cruel and mean, and above all, absurd and compelling. The author combines historical and mythical knowledge into a turbulent and rich story set in rural China. 
  • Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong (Amazon): a slow-paced story showing respect for nature and the culture of the people living in north-central Inner Mongolia. This book transports you right there and reads as a meditation on living with nature and maintaining balance.
  • The Wall by Marlen Haushofer (Amazon): about a woman and some animals in survival mode. At first, this sounds like a pleasant change, but trouble lurks. You would have liked to be kept ignorant until the very end…
  • Wittgenstein’s Nephew by Thomas Bernhard (Amazon): what stuck with me is the irony of a narrator stuck in a hospital bed talking about how he and some other people are the happiest travelers and the unhappiest arrivals.

Hard to judge

Kesha Bakunin - Stronghold
  • Stronghold by Kesha Bakunin (Review): a study of leadership styles and political and social issues in the form of a fantasy story set in a world with a rich history.
  • When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut (Amazon): a blend of fiction and essay about the good and the bad that caused scientific advances in the 20th century. And about the minds and lives of those that came up with them.
  • Bestiary by K-Ming Chang (Amazon): about three generations of Taiwanese American women that are haunted by the myths of their homeland. I didn’t like this book, but many people love it. It’s either hit or miss.

Whatever happened?

Books I wanted to like so much

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
  • Heaven by Mieko Kawakami (Amazon): half a year later I am trying to come up with a description. I have to read the synopsis to even remember what it was about. A heavy and interesting topic but I’ve read more impressive books about this topic.
  • Piranesi by Susanna Clark (Amazon): a book with great reviews that I found extremely boring.
  • The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (Amazon): a book that I both love and hate because I don’t like the narrator’s personality and thoughts but I love the setting. So of course I’ll read the third installment next year.
  • To the Warm Horizon by Choi Jin-young (Review): if only one of the other characters had been the main narrator…
  • House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Amazon): I actually did like this book, but it lacked the wow-factor that I was expecting after hearing other readers rave about it.

Guilty pleasures

  • Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #3) by Jessica Townsend (Amazon): a truly magical and fantastic children’s books series that was just what I needed at some point this year.
  • Sufficiently Advanced Magic (Arcane Ascension #1) by Andrew Rowe (Amazon): the Arcane Ascension trilogy by Andrew Rowe also helped to satisfy my magic school books craving.

Published by Honford Star (because I ended up buying all of them)

Astral Season, Beastly Season by Tahi Saihate
  • Astral Season, Beastly Season by Tahi Saihate (Review): a story about adoration and objectification. What does it take to grow up as a star instead of a beast?
  • To the Warm Horizon by Choi Jin-young (Review): a dystopian story about two strangers growing close and showing affection despite their hardships.
  • Tower by Bae Myung-hoon (Review): this book is a mirror of society; a sci-fi depiction of social and political issues. It is intense, subtle and funny.
  • Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (Review): the author will amuse you with all the unusual things that are considered perfectly ordinary.
  • Whisper by Chang Yu-Ko (Amazon): Whisper is a plot-driven, Taiwanese horror story, that is hopefully on its way here from Manchester (I think it is travelling on foot because it was sent to me two months ago). It will arrive someday.

Most popular reviews on Wheretokim in 2021

Interestingly enough, three of them were also popular last year. Numbers four, five and six are new though.

The Vines by Shelley Nolden
  • Almond by Won-pyung Sohn (Review): a touching story about two vastly different boys that grow closer by talking.
  • Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton (Review): that book with the very cryptical paragraph hinting at the ending. When you see it, you just have to read the book to know what it means.
  • A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami (Review): the second Haruki Murakami book I ever read! I know, I should read the rest of them as well. But at least I am now a member of the sheeplessnessclub!
  • Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami (Review): a book of growth, about a person gaining color and facing his past.
  • The Vines by Shelley Nolden (Review): about the ethical dilemmas involved in curing diseases and fighting pandemics. The story has the perfect setting for that, namely North Brother Island, New York City.
  • Extra: Orakel (Dutch version) by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Review): I want to highlight this one because the long expected English translation of the author’s previous book Echo will be published on 8 February 2022!

What is the most interesting and engaging book you read in 2021? Any books you’re looking forward to in 2022?

Most interesting and engaging books of 2021

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]]> https://wheretokim.com/most-interesting-and-engaging-books-of-2021/feed/ 0 Review: Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor https://wheretokim.com/review-remote-control-nnedi-okorafor/ https://wheretokim.com/review-remote-control-nnedi-okorafor/#respond Mon, 28 Jun 2021 14:00:00 +0000 https://wheretokim.com/?p=9067 In Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor, you follow a magical journey that you can't even remotely control. Is there anyone who can?

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In Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor, you follow a magical journey that you can’t even remotely control. Is there anyone who can?

Location: set in Ghana

Remote Control synopsis

“She’s the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death. Beware of her. Mind her. Death guards her like one of its own.”

The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa­­–a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past.

Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks–alone, except for her fox companion–searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.

But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?

Book review

3/5

I will always read books by Nnedi Okorafor because I know I can expect a fast-paced, well-written, and fantasy-rich story. The setting of her stories and her narrative voice are unique. The premise of the books always intrigues me and I usually find the stories entertaining. Yet I also know that I will be less than satisfied with the plot, even though I enjoyed the journey leading up to it.

And that’s exactly how I felt when I finished this novella. It starts out as a magical folk tale with some modern technology added to it. A girl’s life suddenly changes when she gets her green light. You follow Sankofa on her journey through Ghana as she searches for answers. She doesn’t understand what is happening to her and neither do we. So far so good.

Then – as in the Binti books – the story takes on a new identity. It goes from magical/fantasy to a more modern story with some artificial intelligence, robots, and corporations. I’m not sure which identity it ended with. I feel like I’m missing out on the conclusion of the first theme because the answer to the question of what is going on in the world is suggested to be in the sci-fi corner. This makes the story feel refreshing but not very satisfying.

Every time Sankofa changes her path, there is suddenly a lot of progress, and then the story slows down again. Because this is such a short story, many elements and plot lines are not very detailed. For example, I was only reminded of her role as her Angel of Death when re-reading the synopsis.

Is Remote Control a good or a bad novella? I don’t know. It is entertaining and rich with interesting concepts and cultural aspects. Yet it feels incomplete. The title Remote Control points to the most interesting element of the story: what is the extent of remote control and who is in control? I like that the concept can be applied to both humans and robots. The last few chapters hint at the answer to our questions, but the journey doesn’t take us that far.

Interested?

Get your copy of Remote Control from Amazon.

Book details
Title: Remote Control
Author: Nnedi Okorafor
Publisher: Tor.com
Pages: 160
ISBN (13): 9781250772800
Publication date: 19 January 2021

About the author
Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian-American author of Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism for children and adults.

Review: Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

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]]> https://wheretokim.com/review-remote-control-nnedi-okorafor/feed/ 0 Review: Lightseekers by Femi Kayode https://wheretokim.com/review-lightseekers-femi-kayode/ https://wheretokim.com/review-lightseekers-femi-kayode/#respond Mon, 08 Feb 2021 15:00:00 +0000 https://wheretokim.com/?p=8279 In Lightseekers by Femi Kayode you follow an academic (psychologist) who tries to solve a murder case in a small Nigerian town.

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In Lightseekers by Femi Kayode you follow a psychologist who tries to solve a murder case in a small Nigerian town.

Location: in and around Port Harcourt in Nigeria

Lightseekers synopsis

They already know who killed the boys. What they need to know is why.

The launch of a major new international crime series featuring investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo.

Three young students are brutally murdered in a Nigerian university town, their killings – and their killers – caught on social media. The world knows who murdered them; what no one knows is why.

As the legal trial begins, investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo is contacted by the father of one of the boys, desperate for some answers to his son’s murder. Philip is an expert in crowd behaviour and violence but travelling to the sleepy university town that bore witness to the killings, he soon feels dramatically out of his depth.

Years spent first studying, then living in the US with his wife and children mean he is unfamiliar with many Nigerian customs and no one involved in the case seems willing to speak out.

The more Philip digs, and the more people he meets with a connection to the case, the more he begins to realise that there is something very wrong concealed somewhere in this community.

Book review

4/5

Lightseekers is an immersive book with a great setting: Nigeria. The murder case Philip Taiwo needs to solve is believable and contemporary. For the reader, it is quite a challenge to guess the motives of the people that Philip meets while investigating his case because of the – for many – unfamiliar setting. It is very exciting how you’ll keep guessing and trying to come up with different explanations while trying to figure out how life in a small town in Nigeria works. How well-versed are you in Nigerian family culture, hierarchy, and the power of friendships? Or the role of politics and religion in everyday life?

The narrative is very much focused on the thought process of the narrator, which makes for a slow start of the story. Philip is an academic, even though he has experience working together with a police department in the US. His naivety and slowness annoyed me at first. For example, his willingness to work closely with Chika without asking the right questions for most of the book is somewhat hard to believe. To me it seemed like he forgot that he can read people after the opening chapters of the book, only to be reminded of his skills in the last third of the book.

On the other hand, as Philip only recently returned to Nigeria after living in the USA for many years, he is having a hard time adjusting. He felt like a foreigner in the USA and also feels like a foreigner in his own country because he is used to a different way of living. This aspect makes him an interesting narrator: like the reader, he is not very familiar with the inner workings of life in Nigeria. 

While the start of the book is a bit slow, the second half is much better! The italic parts add mystery and suspense to the story and make you want to know more. Lightseekers is a good thriller and definitely worth reading because of the setting and – for many – unfamiliar culture that makes this book a refreshing read. Femi Kayode made a great choice by telling the story from the perspective of an academic instead of a police officer. 

Interested?

Pre-order your copy of Lightseekers via Amazon (available 11 February 2021).

Book details
Title: Lightseekers
Author: Femi Kayode
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ)
Pages: 432
ISBN13: 9781526617590
Publication date: 11 February 2021

Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Lightseekers by Femi Kayode

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