Title: Believers and Hustlers
Author: Sylva Nze Ifedigbo
Publisher: Parresia Publishers Ltd
Year of Publication: 2020
Number of Pages: 376
Category: Fiction
The novel Believers and Hustlers provides an intriguing glimpse into the fictional life of a preacher. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, the epicenter of mega-churches. The fearless Pastor Nick serves as the main character in this work, which features an incredibly dramatic plot. As a result of the fact that Pastor Nick possesses qualities such as passion, vision, self-assurance, and bravery, he is a force to be reckoned with.
This book reads like a movie that was made by an overambitious film producer, and you are going to be blown away by the author Sylva Nze Ifedigbo’s ability to immerse the reader completely in the incredible world that he has created.
In the book, ideals such as humility and servant leadership were superseded by self-promotion and the extension of one’s own personal ministry impact at whatever cost. And a significant chunk of the story examines the ways in which prophets deceive the people who follow them.
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Nkechi, Pastor Nick’s wife, has always been loyal to her spouse. The world in which she lives is one that many people would kill to live in. However, being a pastor’s wife is not all glitz and glamour for her; rather, she goes through many challenging moments, just like a huge number of other pastors’ wives do. Nkechi not only has to create tactics to cope with the countless ladies that swarm around her husband under the premise of seeking advice or working, but she also has a great deal of other obstacles to confront. In that regard, this book offers some insight into the daily life of pastors’ spouses.
Money, power, and sexual activity can fuel a controversy. All of these elements come together in this book, and it’s only a matter of time before a scandal erupts at Rivers of Joy Church. As a result, Pastor Nick becomes a constant source of negative press.
Anxiety sets in, and the “entertainers” begin to appear at random. Aside from Lilian’s (Pastor Nick’s fully devoted follower) unpredictable behavior and Bimbo’s (Pastor Nick’s right-hand man) unappealing personality, Ifenna (the journalist who knew too much) may be doing something good for the community without even realizing it. Believers and Hustlers contains numerous laugh-out-loud moments that will keep readers distracted from their problems.
Ifedigbo succeeds in building Pastor Nkechi into a self-liberated woman who appears ready to seize her own life and live for herself at the end of the novel.
While Ifedigbo’s writing allows him to expose the church’s hypocrisy, most of us are likely to tire of hearing the same old church stories. If the authors decide to write about a pastor’s life, they risk boring their readers to tears with tired stereotypes. Sylva Nze Ifedigbo is a master storyteller as always, but readers may be left wondering what Ifedigbo’s ultimate goal was at the end of the book.
About the reviewer
Titilade Oyemade is a business executive in a leading organisation and holds a degree in Russian Language. She’s the convener of the Hangoutwithtee Ladies Event and the publisher of Hangoutwithtee magazine. She spends her weekends attending women conferences, events and book readings. She loves to have fun and to help other women have the same in their lives. Email: [email protected] Social: @tiipreeofficial
