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A review by bluepigeon
Nigerians in Space by Deji Bryce Olukotun
5.0
Nigerians in Space may very well be the best fiction book I will have read in 2014. I find myself reading more non-fiction these days, afraid of the frequent disappointment with new fiction, but I am glad that I won Nigerians in Space in the Goodreads First Reads (thanks!) giveaway.
I could describe the book in terms of the plot (the events set off by a Nigerian official promising a scientific leap in the home country to successful Nigerian scientists who live abroad), story (the emotional struggle of characters to fend off the fear and alienation as they are forced to abandon their familiar lives and live in foreign and strange lands, creating false identities and new pasts with the hopes for a better, clearer, calmer, more peaceful features), or the structure (the story of three main characters and the loose connections between their chaotic and blurry pasts colliding in a surprising climax), but perhaps the best way to describe Olukotun’s novel is that it makes sense out of utter chaos. And he does it in an unapologetic manner, without stopping to explain the chaos, but simply telling the story as a lens that the reader can, if she chooses to, use to see the mess in a different way.
Nigerians in Space is a bold tour de force, a mystery full of thrill, and an adventure full of heartbreak. Highly recommended for those who like mollusks, telescopes, and moonlight.
I could describe the book in terms of the plot (the events set off by a Nigerian official promising a scientific leap in the home country to successful Nigerian scientists who live abroad), story (the emotional struggle of characters to fend off the fear and alienation as they are forced to abandon their familiar lives and live in foreign and strange lands, creating false identities and new pasts with the hopes for a better, clearer, calmer, more peaceful features), or the structure (the story of three main characters and the loose connections between their chaotic and blurry pasts colliding in a surprising climax), but perhaps the best way to describe Olukotun’s novel is that it makes sense out of utter chaos. And he does it in an unapologetic manner, without stopping to explain the chaos, but simply telling the story as a lens that the reader can, if she chooses to, use to see the mess in a different way.
Nigerians in Space is a bold tour de force, a mystery full of thrill, and an adventure full of heartbreak. Highly recommended for those who like mollusks, telescopes, and moonlight.