Review: A fascinating glimpse of life and love in another time and place
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 16, 2014
Reviewed by MariaBook provided by the publisher for reviewReview originally posted at Romancing the BookA piece of historical fiction, set in pre-colonial Africa (Nigeria). This novella doesn’t take up a lot of time in the reading, yet it leaves an impression. The writer has a mesmerizing voice, almost imperceptible in a way. It sort of fades into the background as the characters take the stage.The plot is interesting. Adaku is finally beginning to warm to the man she married just under a year ago. She had rejected Obinna as her husband on their wedding night, as her heart was already given to another. Obinna was confident enough in his masculinity not to force himself on an unwilling woman, but to wait until she came to him of her own free will. As Adaku dances and makes merry among the women at a community function, keeping her eyes on her husband as he socializes among the men, she hears disturbing rumors. Nneka, an old flame of Obinna, is recently widowed and now actively seeking another mate. She has indicated that she is ready to enter Obinna’s house as his second wife. The thought fills Adaku with horror. Newly possessive of her husband, with awakening feelings for him, there is also the possibility of her losing her prestige as Obinna’s first wife. If another woman enters Adaku’s home before Adaku, has borne a child, the second woman may eclipse her should she produces a child first. Now Adaku knows what she has to do. She must make her husband her own.As a piece of erotic writing, I would class this as sensual rather than actual erotica. The writer employs the skill of arousing the reader’s interest slowly and working steadily towards the shattering climax. While erotica tends to arouse the reader as well as the characters, in this book, it’s very much the characters’ moment rather than the reader’s. I am not one of those readers who wants to join the party when the characters start getting frisky. In fact I’m a ‘less is more’ person when it comes to sexual description. Don’t get me wrong, the sexual description is full on, but there’s enough room for the reader to stand back and look away if they so desire. Which is fine by me. But I have to admit that Kiru Taye does an excellent job of depicting that frantic, bonding sex of a new, passionate relationship, no holds barred.As an avid reader of historical fiction, I found it a little strange that a tribal farmer in pre-colonial Africa lived in such a well appointed house with a separate kitchen and bathroom. It’s not that I think that life in pre-colonial Africa was primitive – far from it. But having read a Chinua Achebe novel or two in my time, I had visions of circular huts within a compound. I would have liked a little more attention to detail, such as descriptions of how Adaku cooked the food, for example, as well as the actual food. She must have cooked on an open fire, but for all the detail given, she could have been using an electric cooker.Overall, a fascinating glimpse of life and love in another time and place. An enjoyable read.Favorite Quote:She flicked her gaze downward, but he held her chin up, making her look back into his face. His black eyes were smoldering, boring into her, melting her. She couldn’t look away if she tried.