A Hot Lagos Afternoon

Worth reading and deserves a place on the bookshelves of African literature lovers.
Promise Onyedikachukwu (2023), A Hot Lagos Afternoon. Akure: Gemspread Publishing.

Most people tend to have a love-hate relationship with short story collections. On the one hand, it’s the excitement of many stories in one book, plus the thrill of quickly completing one journey and immediately embarking on another. But then there’s the anti-climactic feeling of never quite getting the whole story and coming to terms with not knowing what happens next or filling in the blanks yourself.

A Hot Lagos Afternoon is no different. It is a fascinating read that combines various writing styles and literary elements. It takes familiar tropes in African literature and cinema and puts an intriguing spin on them.

The titular first story takes us on a journey – literally – with a woman on the bus to her hometown, where she is to begin preparations for her traditional wedding. It is an uneventful trip until the imaginable happens. Armed kidnappers attack their bus, and the passengers are taken for ransom. The heartbreaking events that follow unravel the desperation and despair of the victims as they are forced to confront their darkest fears and the stark reality of their vulnerability, some of which lead to tragic outcomes. At the end of it, the reader is left conflicted by the main character’s decision to divulge certain information, inadvertently analysing the cost-benefit to making albeit morally correct choices if they were to be caught in such dilemmas themselves.

The second story is a unique take on the typical oga-housemaid affair story. We are introduced to “Tola”, who has very determined dreams of leaving her small Yoruba village to the big city of Lagos to find the rich husband she knows she deserves. As with the first, we read the story from her POV, and there is a noticeable difference in the tone of voice. How Tola speaks and articulates her thoughts to us tells us she is either unhinged or utterly oblivious of the seriousness of her actions, almost showcasing a simple-mindedness reminiscent of a person with a delusional disorder or just very mentally immature. It’s nearly eerie. It is, however, refreshing to see a different angle to this trope rather than the typical innocent-unwilling-participant angle.

That story makes for an interesting segue into “When a Woman is a Man”, which brings us into the life of a childless woman and the shenanigans she must endure at the hands of her mother-in-law and seemingly spineless husband, who never stands up for her. The reader is thrust into the story using the second-person style, so we are forced to live it as we read it. Although it is a familiar, almost over-told tale, it takes a spin at the end that lends a uniqueness we rarely see. In an intriguing twist, a mystery is solved, tragedy is averted, and it’s a happy ending for all…well, almost all.

“Lagos Living’ is a gut-wrenching tale of the consequences of parental manipulation and the unfairness of life in general. John’s misfortune at being born to a selfish, unfeeling wreck of a mother ultimately leads him down a path that puts him among criminals. A prison will now be his home for three years for a crime he hasn’t even committed yet and never intended to. Although the title feels like a misnomer, it doesn’t take away from the whirlwind of emotions we feel on John’s behalf, especially as we are robbed of a chance to see all wrongs against him righted by karma or fate. Or a vengeful mix of both.

The best was saved for last, as “Stories That Touch” takes us on a round-about journey that ultimately ends with a shocking twist that ties into one of the earlier stories. It is very well done, effortlessly switching between past and present in an expository manner, revealing important details until the connection is made at the end. As you read, you think you know where the story is going, but you are constantly proven wrong. Fans of a “rise-above, boss-babe” moment will be left satisfied by the end and almost wish to continue to see what happens next.

The book’s central theme is women caught in challenging situations and exploring the unique ways they navigate them. Although I am a fan of plenty of dialogue in the stories I read, the primarily narrative writing style does seem pertinent to properly depict the main characters and their emotions and mental states.

The pacing is good. The stories move quickly, and it never feels like they’re dragging on or the MC is rambling. The language and sentence structure are also minimalistic and friendly to all levels of education and English literacy—there is no superfluous use of grammar and syntax, which will cater to the average reader.

On physicality, the book’s cover design utilises a bold yellow, which draws the eye and doesn’t look bad on a shelf. Print quality seems reasonable enough and will stand the test of time.

For the interior design, it will surely be a win for non-habitual readers or anyone in a reading slump. The font is neither too small nor too big, and the lines and paragraphs are spaced out more than in your typical novel, which makes for a far easier read. Without vast blocks of text, the reader is encouraged to keep turning the pages until the end. This is compatible with when attention spans are significantly lower, and people are not as eager to consume content by reading.

If there are any negatives, they are very minimal. For constructive criticism, I suggest a thorough read-through by a good editor before publishing.

Sometimes, the author misses a few things while pouring out their creativity. Things like mixed tenses – switching from simple present tense to past tense – in some of the stories, some missing punctuation and misplaced capitalisation would have been spotted. Also, in the end, in the ‘About’ section, she mentions a blog but fails to give its name or a link to it, which, to me, is a missed opportunity to potentially connect with the readers of her book and possibly grow her platform.

Other than these nit-picky elements, which would likely go unnoticed by most, the book is worth reading and deserves a place on the bookshelves of African literature lovers.

I would give A Hot Lagos Afternoon a solid seven out of ten. It is an awe-inspiring debut. Promise Onyekachukwu is a promising young voice who should be proud of this first attempt.

Sonia Ihuoma Nwakanma is a communication specialist, designer and writer.