Book Review: Wahala by Nikki May.

 

Book: Wahala 

Author: Nikki May  

Pages: 384 

Read On: Kindle 

How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 Days 

Plot Summary: Ronke wants happily ever after and 2.2. kids. She’s dating Kayode and wants him to be “the one” (perfect, like her dead father). Her friends think he’s just another in a long line of dodgy Nigerian boyfriends.

Boo has everything Ronke wants—a kind husband, gorgeous child. But she’s frustrated, unfulfilled, plagued by guilt, and desperate to remember who she used to be.

Simi is the golden one with the perfect lifestyle. No one knows she’s crippled by impostor syndrome and tempted to pack it all in each time her boss mentions her “urban vibe.” Her husband thinks they’re trying for a baby. She’s not.

When the high-flying, charismatic Isobel explodes into the group, it seems at first she’s bringing out the best in each woman. (She gets Simi an interview in Hong Kong! Goes jogging with Boo!) But the more Isobel intervenes, the more chaos she sows, and Ronke, Simi, and Boo’s close friendship begins to crack.

A sharp, modern take on friendship, ambition, culture, and betrayal, Wahala (trouble) is an unforgettable novel from a brilliant new voice.

Things I Liked: 

1. I love reading about friendships. We talk so much about love and romantic relationships and the many layers and complications they often have, we ignore the many layers in friendships and especially female friendships. Even more so in old friendships, there is so much history and so much to unpack and so many old sore points and so much going on, it's always a delight to read about these bonds and this book managed to capture this friend group is allllll it's myriad shaded and colours. 

2. The Anglo-Nigerian lives and dual identity was shown so well and in case of all of these women a little different too. Some of them wore their dual identities very proudly and for some this was more a burden than something to feel happy about. The troubles of being mixed were also shown in such a good way. Especially when the women talk of their childhood and the racism they've had to endure, sometimes at the hand of those who were family. I felt it was also honest to show a character who isn't too kicked about her Nigerian half, given that her father abandoned her mother even before she was born and never bothered to check on her. I felt that this aversion to this side of her identity is natural and understandable. 

3. I really loved how within this friend group we had a group of women who really loved and cared for each other. They are like sisters, and just like sisters there are some things they find annoying about the other. I loved that there was no sugar coating of these facets of friendships. Because let's face it, we've all been there, we love our friend but there are somethings we find annoying and or irritating about them. 

4. I liked all of our three core characters. Ronke, Boo and Simi. I genuinely liked all them. Each of them is so well fleshed out and they seem real and relatable. I think any young mother will  identify with Boo and what it means/takes to be a working mother. Ronke was alll heart. I perhaps loved her best and I was rooting for her throughout the book. Simi too is kind and good and perhaps a little naive but I liked her too. 

5. I found the writing quite nice and the book on the whole was very readable and once I jumped into it I couldn't quite put it down. I really just wanted to keep reading. The pace was great and it keeps you hooked from start to finish. 

6. Isobel, our new entrant, our interloper was interesting too. Super rich, a little lost, a little sorted, very confident and one hell bent on infiltrating this group...she was obviously (at least to me) up to no good yet I found her to be a compelling character.  I couldn't wait to see the trouble she'd stir up. 

Things I Didn't Like: 

Overall, this was a book I enjoyed quite a bit. And it's one I'd recommend. 

But it's almost very predictable. Also Isobel being a total evil cow is beyond obvious. 

Some of the reveals were a surprise but a lot of it was a little too easy to see coming. 

There is also a fair amount of colourism in this book and a few not-so-kind things said about Nigerian people, especially Nigerian men. I get some of these comments were made by Boo who being abandoned by a Nigerian father sees all men in the same light..so I understand her pain but after a point it began to feel a little cruel. 

Rating: 3.5/5