Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Tochi Eze GENRE: Domestic Drama PUBLICATION DATE: August 5, 2025 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A dual-timeline domestic drama exploring the effects of contradictory beliefs on a marriage. Character-driven. Interesting exploration of the central theme and some other tough topics. Flawed but well-sketched characters. Thin plot with too many themes. Good use of the Nigerian setting. Slow-paced. Not everything settled at the end. Somehow a bit distanced in execution. Quite ambitious for a debut. A good one-time read. Plot Preview: Then in 1960s Lagos. Independent-yet-traditional Margaret didn’t expect to form a relationship with British-born half-Nigerian Benjamin. But their rapport is strong, and despite indications from both their families that they should separate and despite learning that their pasts are more connected than they knew, they get married in secret. But the burden of marriage and parenthood on a young couple without familial support is always high. Margaret’s wor...

AUTHOR: Patrick Nzabonimpa GENRE: Short Story Collection, OwnVoices. PUBLICATION DATE: April 14, 2026 RATING: 3.4 stars. In a Nutshell: An OwnVoices short story collection set in Rwanda. Focused on ordinary citizens caught in unusual circumstances. The writing quality differs across stories, but the plots and characters are distinct enough to hold attention. The endings were a mixed bag for me. Still, a good option for fans of slice-of-life storytelling. This collection contains fourteen stories, each set in Rwanda. Though the setting is visible in many stories, the content is primarily character-oriented, with every story focussing more on its people than on the place or prose. There is no author's note or foreword introducing any theme to this set of stories. The title, though poetic, also doesn’t offer a big clue about the content. The blurb though has a significant clue: “ordinary Rwandans pushed to extraordinary choices […] confront the moments that reshape them—moments where...

AUTHOR: Oyinkan Braithwaite NARRATORS: Diana Yekinni, Nnei Opia Clark, and Weruche Opia. GENRE: African Contemporary Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: November 4, 2025 RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A multi-timeline multi-perspective family saga. Impressive yet flawed female characters, somewhat flat male characters. Decent plot, good writing, good ending. Character-oriented. Unlike what the blurb says, this is not “wickedly funny”. (In fact, it’s not funny at all.) Don’t expect a clever satire like the author’s first novel; this one is more typical in its storyline. Recommended, though not as strongly as I had hoped to. Plot Preview: 2024. Lagos, Nigeria. Twenty-three-year-old Eniiyi has lived her entire life being told that she resembles Monife, her aunt who killed herself just before Eniiyi was born. She even tried moving out from her hometown, but the shadow of Monife was always there. Now she's back after eleven years, returning to the home where she grew up, and to the women who ...

AUTHOR: Lesley Nneka Arimah GENRE: Short Story Collection PUBLICATION DATE: April 4, 2017 RATING: 3.95 stars. In a Nutshell: A short story collection based primarily in Nigeria. Excellent plots, diverse genres, intriguing characters, fabulous writing. Thought-provoking and captivating as a whole. Can't believe this is a debut work! Much recommended. This collection comprises twelve stories, almost all of which are set in Nigeria. The author, born in the UK, has Nigerian roots and has spent a part of her childhood there, among other places. Reading the book though, you won't be able to tell that it is written by an expat. ( Of course, I have no first-hand experience of Nigeria, so this is based on whatever I have read of the country through other books by OwnVoices authors. ) There is a gritty undercurrent to the stories that depict the country without being excessively positive or negative. This book came into my life thanks to its title. I didn't know what to expect from s...

AUTHOR: Nnedi Okorafor GENRE: Literary Science Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: January 14, 2025 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: An OwnVoices literary fiction with sci-fi elements, NOT science-fiction with literary elements. Story within a story. Interesting disability representation (but mild vibes of ableism), great character detailing (but mostly unlikeable characters), unusual combination of futuristic elements with traditional family drama (but the two don’t blend well), good use of Nigerian + American setting and immigrant experience (no buts here; this was great). Plot Preview: Zelu’s life has not been easy. Disabled since her teen years, unexpectedly fired from her university job, and facing rejection yet again for her latest manuscript, she’s the least successful in a family of high-achievers. In frustration, she decides to write a book that is unlike her earlier works and isn’t even in a genre she likes. She pens a science fiction novel titled “Rusted Robots” about an apocalyp...

  AUTHOR: Nikki May GENRE: Literary Fiction, Retelling. PUBLICATION DATE:  July 18, 2024 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A loose retelling of Jane Austen’s ‘Mansfield Park’ . A decolonised narrative spanning two decades in Nigeria and England. Interesting characters, amazing writing, dark and light themes interspersed. You don’t need to read the original as this one can be appreciated much better as an independent novel. Recommended! Plot Preview: 1978. When ten-year-old Funke loses her mom in a car accident in Lagos, she is sent to live with her mom’s estranged family in England. Her mother’s sister isn’t so receptive to the idea of raising a mixed-race child, but Funke finds a friend in her cousin Liv.  As the years pass by, Funke and Liv go through varied ups and downs, both haunted by the words and deeds of their mothers – one from the past and one in the present. Can the two girls learn to stand for themselves in a world where they are first judged by gender and skin...

AUTHOR: Nnedi Okorafor SERIES: The Far Reaches, #5 GENRE: Science Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: June 27, 2023 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: An interesting character-oriented short story with a decent blend of science fiction, human flaws, and Afrofuturism sparkle. The ending was a bit disappointing, but overall, it was still better than I had anticipated. (It helped to have low expectations.) Plot Preview: Tornado Onwubiko, a young Nigerian girl, is one of only seven people from earth who have been genetically matched for an inter-stellar journey supposed to last ten years. Halfway into the travel, Tornado will be meeting the other six travellers for the very first time, at a location just outside of Jupiter’s gravitational reach. After five years of being isolated in their custom spaceships, how will the seven travellers react to human company, especially when their rendezvous is supposed to last only for a week? The story comes to us from Tornado’s first-person perspective. This ...

AUTHOR: 'Pemi Aguda GENRE: Speculative Fiction Short Stories PUBLICATION DATE: May 7, 2024 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A beautiful OwnVoices collection of short stories set in Lagos, Nigeria. The locational feel as well as the writing is outstanding. Each story feels unique. An excellent debut, much recommended, especially to speculative fiction and dark fantasy lovers. The highlight of this collection of twelve stories is its setting. Each narrative is based in Lagos, a city that juxtaposes the modern as well as the traditional, the African culture with a sprinkling of Western modernity. ( Probably, a bit like India in this sense. We have the best of both worlds – traditional roots and modern wings. ) The stories have an authentic vibe that immerses you in the location and makes you feel Lagos and its sights and sounds. The cover, with the inherent contrast between the serene smile and the gush of blood, ought to prepare you for the content. Most of the stories are a combinati...

EDITOR: Mukana Press GENRE: OwnVoices Anthology PUBLICATION DATE: April 15, 2024 RATING: 3.6 stars In a Nutshell: An OwnVoices anthology from indie writers hailing from the African continent. Some amazing stories herein dealing with complex yet realistic human situations. I would have loved to see a greater number of and a greater range of stories. Mukana Press was established two years ago "to discover Africa's most promising writers". I had read the first two short story anthologies by this publisher in 2022 and found both a delight to read. As such, I picked up this collection with high hopes. The stories matched my expectations in terms of quality, but not in terms of range or quantity. The publisher stated that they received 564 submissions from 23 countries last year. This number is promoted on the blurb as well as in the foreword of this collection. Imagine my disappointment then to see that the book contains only ten stories, and of these, one was repeated from...

AUTHOR: Uché Okonkwo GENRE: Short Story Anthology PUBLICATION DATE: April 16, 2024 RATING: 4.1 stars. In a Nutshell: A collection of stories set in contemporary Nigeria, covering various kinds of “madness”, but not necessarily the one you would assume. I enjoyed the setting, the writing, as well as the content. Much recommended! I wouldn’t say that this collection of ten stories took me by surprise. Most OwnVoices African anthologies or story collections I have read have been outstanding, and I am glad that this book continues the positive trend. There is no introductory or author’s note, but the theme of the collection is quite clear from the title and the blurb. The title highlights how a ‘kind of madness’ is the driving force behind these stories. The primary focus is on relationships, whether familial or societal. Expectations lead people to do crazy things, and that’s the kind of crazy we see haunting the pages of this brilliant book. The emotions behind the characters’ actions ...

EDITOR: Dapo Adeola GENRE: Middle-Grade Anthology RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: An anthology aimed at Black middle-grade readers, telling stories of joy, imagination, and creativity of Black people. Has a mix of stories, poems, nonfiction essays, and recipes. I am obviously outside the target audience, but found some good content herein. Will work even better for the right segment. Just a few days ago, I had read a short fantasy story about a Black character’s experience under a white colonial regime. In one of the Goodreads reviews for that story, a female Black reviewer bluntly stated that she was tired of reading Black stories with the same old themes of slavery, racism, and injustice, because though one cannot deny the trials and tribulations of Black history, contemporary Black experiences aren't restricted to only the negative episodes. I found that sentiment thought-provoking and honest. Until I read her words, I hadn’t realised just how much of Black writing is focuss...

AUTHOR: Sheikha Helawy TRANSLATOR: Nancy Roberts GENRE: Anthology. RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An OwnVoices anthology by a Bedouin Palestinian woman writer, focusing on female experiences in that culture. Enjoyed the setting more than the stories, though there are some gems herein. The translator’s preface at the start provides a nice foundation to our experience of this anthology, first published in Arabic in 2015. It introduces the author’s background and her writing style. Author Sheikha Helawy grew up in a Palestinian Bedouin village named Shail El E'rj, which was forcibly displaced by the Israeli occupation in the 1990s. She uses her early memories and her experiences after losing her home to pen stories about women such as her. This collection of eighteen stories focusses on the female Bedouin voice, offering us myriad women who are trying to thwart outdated patriarchal and social practices to whatever little extent they can. Not all of their wins are grand, but in s...