I requested this book from NetGalley back in August as it looked intriguing – a variation on the theme of “three women meet at university; we look at their lives since”, this focuses on three women of mixed British-Nigerian heritage, a firm friendship group, but the cover makes it clear this is going to be something of a thriller, and it was definitely a page-turner!
Nikki May – “Wahala”
(18 August 2021)
It wasn’t until Bristol (chosen mainly for its distance from home), where she met Ronke and Simi, that she started to feel comfortable in her skin. They were the first mixed-race people she’d ever spoken to and to them, being brown was an asset, not a liability. It meant you could always fit in – with black people, white people and all shades in between. They pitied the poor souls with one solitary culture, who used fake tan (or worse – bleaching cream). They were proud of being half Nigerian and half English. They loved jollof rice and fish finger sandwiches. They had two football teams to support.
Ronke, Simi and Boo have been a strong friendship group since they met at university and each found someone with a similar heritage to bond with. They have had various experiences of their dual heritage, some of them feel more linked to Nigeria than others, and they have different lives now, one young, free and single but wanting to settle down, one very settled into a domesticity she resents, one a high-flyer with a high-flying husband who wants to keep her career and NOT settle down. Two are with White men, one wants to find a good Nigerian man. But they’re all close, don’t share their grievances with each other and are getting along quite nicely … until Isobel comes along. She comes from Simi’s past and definitely Ronke is not keen as she tries to work her way into everyone’s lives. What does she actually want? Different people are told different things, and she has a subtle or not-so-subtle effect on each other their lives and all of their friendships as life progresses. Do older relatives hold the key or are they prejudiced by Isobel’s family background? And what’s with the first scene, showing a woman who has clearly just been attacked – we’re told we’re going four months back but there are so many clues and you really wonder.
As well as the compelling storyline we see what it’s like to be a mixed-heritage Black woman in modern London, a world of microaggressions and obstacles, of being brought in when something’s “urban”, of being assumed about and bossed around, but of finding solace in a Nigerian restaurant that’s almost like being in Nigeria itself. One Black book blogger and her commenter have made the point that the racism and microaggressions the women experience are brushed over somewhat – not something I can really comment about as a White woman but at least, I think, they were there and highlighted and other White reviewers have commented that they learned from them. Mainly this is an excellent story set against a great, believable background, with characters who are all rounded and flawed, with fabulous recipes in the back of the book for jollof rice, etc., and I’m very much looking forward to what this author does next.
Thank you to Random House UK for selecting me to read this book in return for an honest review. “Wahala” was published on 6 January 2022.
Jan 24, 2022 @ 09:51:53
It’s interesting to see a take on this very familiar plot line from a black perspective – glad that you enjoyed it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 24, 2022 @ 11:18:59
Yes, it was really well done and a lot more interesting than some of these on this theme can be!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 24, 2022 @ 13:20:42
Wahala has been on my radar–it sounds like such a good book! Great review and you make me want to pick it up soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 24, 2022 @ 13:27:40
Excellent, I’d be interested to hear what you make of it. I do recommend it, certainly!
LikeLike
Jan 24, 2022 @ 15:40:08
I might add this to my audiobook list.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 24, 2022 @ 15:48:05
I hope you enjoy it if you do!
LikeLike
Jan 24, 2022 @ 16:10:08
Sounds great Liz – as others have mentioned, it’s nice to have this kind of plot with a diverse cast of characters, and I love the idea of the recipes in the back of the book!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 24, 2022 @ 20:43:40
Yes, it was really good, one reviewer I’ve read mentioned it was good to be shown that not all people, even sharing the same dual heritage, are the same, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 24, 2022 @ 19:41:47
This sounds really good, these are familiar but always compelling themes. I really like the sound of these characters too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 24, 2022 @ 20:44:07
It was really different with the Nigerian and London locations and cultures. I think you’d like it!
LikeLike
Jan 24, 2022 @ 20:05:02
I love a good pageturner…and recipes in the back! That reminds me of Laura Esquivel’s Water for Chocolate (the first, I think, that I remember having recipes).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 24, 2022 @ 20:44:29
Oh yes, although I liked this one more (I don’t like magical realism, unfortunately!).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 24, 2022 @ 21:28:08
I have this reserved from the library after Gracie from Little Toller recommended it for me. Have a look at the window display they did for it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 24, 2022 @ 21:35:29
Oh yes, I’ve seen that! It is good, and I’ll look forward to reading your thoughts on it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 25, 2022 @ 04:09:30
I’m not sure I’ve ever read a “three women meet at university” novel. Is there always an evil fourth causing trouble? With a bit of luck I’ll remember that cover and pick it up when it appears in the library.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan 25, 2022 @ 10:57:07
Well, I think the subgenre is x people meet at university, one later comes back from their past and a Thing happens – Iris Murdoch’s The Book and the Brotherhood, Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life in the literary fiction sphere, many many others in popular fiction …
LikeLike
Jan 25, 2022 @ 11:04:10
I’ll have to see if I can apply your template to Normal People.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Book review – Daphne Palasi Andreades – “Brown Girls” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Jan 28, 2022 @ 15:12:24
Mar 18, 2022 @ 13:22:05
I am glad to see you enjoyed the read too. Wahala was one of the good reads of 2022 for me
LikeLike
Mar 18, 2022 @ 13:27:56
Yes, I think it is likely to make my Top 10!
LikeLiked by 1 person