Title: Welcome to Lagos
Author: Chibundu Onuzo
Summary: Welcome to Lagos follows a group of strangers who meet on a bus ride to Lagos, each of them running away for a different reason: deserting the military, fleeing an abusive husband, orphaned by an attack on their village. After arriving in the city, they find themselves in the middle of a scheme involving ten million dollars, a disgraced Education Minister, and the editor of a failing newspaper.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review:
When I first started reading Welcome to Lagos, I found it a little slow and I wasn't sure whether I would really get into it. As time went by and the pages kept turning, I completely revised that opinion - I became so invested in the plot and since finishing, it has really stayed with me.
Title: Americanah
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Summary: Americanah tells the story of Ifemelu and Obinze, two young, academically talented Nigerians who fall in love but get separated by their journey to the West. Ifemelu attends college in America, ends up staying for fifteen years, and becomes a successful blogger, while Obinze tries his luck in the UK and eventually back in Nigeria.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review:
If you've been on the internet for a few years and haven't come across Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, I'd be surprised. She is famed for her brilliant 'We Should All Be Feminists' TEDx Talk, which was sampled in Beyonce's Flawless. I had heard about Americanah long before I got my hands on a copy, with praise centred on its observations about race, identity, class, and gender. So - did it live up to the hype?
