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Written by Nkemjika Ojiji
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Blackbird is a captivating and rather enjoyable read. It is the tale of Maya and her husband Omoniyi's sufferings. Set in Lagos, it clearly depicts the fine line between the lives of the rich and the poor and portrays the vicious cycle of poverty, desperation, crime and eventual death. This novel reminds one of Festus Iyayi's style especially his Violence. The language is very direct and simple. There's little or no use of metaphors, it's almost like the writer is throwing the reality of the lifestyle of the downtrodden at us without polishing it or making it look less terrible than it really is. There is also a bit of humour and the language is spiced with local pidgin and a bit of Yoruba.
Blackbird is the 'typical' story of a poor Nigerian family as is usually portrayed in our fiction and home videos. Here, the husband loses his job and has to live off his wife. Of course, he loses his self esteem and begins to ignore his wife and deny her her conjugal rights. Their son is diagnosed with leukaemia and soon the little money they have is diverted to the hospital's pockets. The wife, Maya, earns a living singing at a restaurant and soon catches the attention of a rich white man and even though she has nothing sexual with him, rumours among the help suggest otherwise. Her husband meets the white man's Nigerian wife and in a fit of jealousy (or is it rage) has sex with her to spite the husband. Maya's husband, Omoniyi, unites with an old friend who is an armed robber wanted by the police for the rape and killing of a white woman. Omoniyi tries to help his friend hide from the police and unfortunately things spiral out of control leaving their sick little son, Deji, in the care of the white man. A great read. Reads like a true life story told by a friend. |
