Skip to main content

Book Review: The Spider King's Daughter

I was excited when I read on my BBM updates that this book was going to be made available to the public to enjoy last week. Soon after I had asked the author where I could get the book, I made my way to the University's Waterstones with a wide grin on my face. The inquisitive shop-attendant broke the news that it had not been stocked on our rural shelves yet, so he asked that I order it and expect it within two days. It came the next day.

 My reading of The Spider King's Daughter was crammed into short breaks between typing up laboratory reports and essays at first, but something had to give. I finished the book that day. It is a page-turner and for a reader as myself who likes all the details on every page to sink in, I had to make sacrifices.

Though the book's title gives the opinion that "daughter" is the main character, in my opinion the book is a coalition of many different characters, each receiving a good share of limelight.

Abike, the daughter, is a go-getter who has a certain darkness about her life.  She takes a liking to a confident, handsome, well-spoken hawker. I admit I did as well. 
The book is written by these two, narrating events from their own point of view.
Set in Lagos, the story takes turns through the heavy traffic-laden streets, under the heat of the scorching sun and past the sweaty armpits of Danfo bus conductors who, with everyone else, has to hussle for a living, into the owners-corner of monstrous air-conditioned 4-wheel drives of the well-to-do.
This book attempts at showcasing the contrast in the life of a rich young girl, who is adamant on having things her way, and "my hawker" who has seen nothing go his way for a long time.

The story blends reality into fantasy, opening eyes to the fact that no one rich or poor was born that way. Things happen. And we can make things happen too.
There is no spectrum of wealth in this book, the rich are very rich and the poor are hand-to-mouth poor.

If there is any fault to this book, is that the author has not adequately painted the picture of the characters, so I had no vivid image in my head what these people may have looked like. But that may have been her homework for us.

Lastly, if you are expecting an African Romeo and Juliet remake- a story of love, riches and family dispute, you just may be pleasantly surprised.


3.8/5 stars, well done Chibundu. This is the first fruit of a promising writing career.

Comments

  1. Oh dear, this purple colour is going to turn us all blind love

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Power 2.0: Doing the Impossible

God has spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongs unto God. -Psalm 62:11 God, Sovereign, unbound by no rules, has done what you and I can never do. By making His Son Jesus to die for our sins, He has shown HIS great power. It is the most impossible feat; the most Holy and blameless person who walked this earth took the place of the most sinful and unrighteous men, as He took on the sins of all the world upon His shoulders. This was to make us, we who revelled in our uncleanness, blind and oblivious to our sorry state, become perfect in God's sight. And why does this show His power? It is because it is a work that not even the strongest, most zealous, enthusiastic person can dream of achieving. It is because it is a work that transcends time and will carry on into eternity. It is because it is a work that no one can dispute, no one can stand against it. God planned and He did it, and no one can come in the way of what He has achieved. So, by God...

Power

Carrying on from the previous post , this post is about where to get courage against despair. I am no counsellor or therapist; I write from personal experience. I have also come to learn from research that many share similar opinions as I do which have helped them as well.   Depression causes one to feel alone in the dark; the cloak of gloom never lifts and it traps you from seeing anything in life as good, enjoyable, dependable or worth it. For many, there is a heavy feeling of shame and worthlessness and that you have nothing to offer this world. It is really difficult to go through this nearly every day and some have tried to find freedom by ending their own lives. My interactions with people who have made suicide attempts have showed me that many regret the decision. I heard of one man who jumped off a bridge and survived. But his thoughts when he let go of the railings were “What have I done?”, “I don’t want to die”. Each of us have a fighting spirit that wants to live...

21 things I learnt at 21

In approximately two and a half months, I will be turning 22. Don't mind that my blog profile still says I am 19, it is obvious little has changed on here since then. Having evaluated the last year of my life I thought I should share a few life keys I learnt these past months. In no particular order, here's to being 21! 1) Being 21 doesn't change much. To your mum, you are always a child. 2) God answers prayers, sometimes you'd have to look even closer to see it 3) I have a very different sense of humour. 4) Time flies when you are not having fun too. Think trying to study the night before the exam. 5) Real love is hard love. 6) Clogged arteries aren't pretty. 7) If someone really wants to be with you, they will be with you. 8) Lactose-intolerance is not all in the mind. 9) Les Misérables is a fantastic musical. 10) Build your silos as you are praying for the rain (Prepare for what you are expecting) 11) Planning is only fantastic when you ...