Esperance by Adam Oyebanji

    What happens when people start randomly coming up drowned... in their own homes... with lungs full of sea water? It is a mystery Ethan is tasked to solve, even now as a Chicago detective down on his luck.

   This book was one of those reads where if you don't think too hard or deep dive into any of the topics, its fun. It was entertaining as a run of the mill mystery, but it was somewhat superficial with the themes it seemed to be exploring even with the sci-fi components. These themes in question seemed to be racism, xenophobia, colonialism, revenge, and reparations... among others. 

    I will give it its flowers though, because there were many instances where it was somewhat funny and snarky with its dialogue, only so effective because of the context surrounding the characters. There was also sapphic relationship that was progressing over the course of the book, which was an unexpected touch.

    All in all, it wasn't the most groundbreaking read, but it's nice if you want a sci-fi mystery to keep you entertained for a while. Give the book a try and let me know how it goes!

- Leo

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 

    "Half of a Yellow Sun" is a story driven by the lives of everyday people who are torn apart by a war, finding ways to not lose any more parts of themselves. The book takes place during the Nigerian-Biafran War from 1967-1970.

    It follows primarily three characters: Olanna, an Igbo woman with roots from a wealthy family who has moved in with her university professor lover; Ugwu, a boy from a village hired as a servant boy for both Olanna and her lover; and Richard, a white man from England who strives to be a writer and is the lover of Olanna's sister. 

    Each one of our characters has similar, yet drastically different circumstances because of their identities. We watch as they see the horrors of the war unfold. We watch as they begin to face these horrors on. We watch as they find everything under the yellow sun they can cling to to fight these horrors off. 

The books is elegantly written and is a classic among Nigerian literature, making beautiful and insightful commentary about race, ethnic disputes, politics, war, and class. I'll share my favorite line of the book that made me bust into tears when I read it, as I feel it perfectly encompasses the effect of war, especially in relation to the title:

"Darkness descended on him, and when it lifted, he knew he would never see _______ again, and that his life would always be a candlelit room; he would see things only in shadow, only in half glimpses..." 

Please give this book a read and let me know what you think!

- Leo