Published: 2018 by University Press Plc
Pages: 74
Genre: fiction
Purchase @ http://www.fb.me/Mannequin.novel
Publisher’s Blurb: Mannequin is situated in the modern day oil-rich city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where a small percentage of the population live in affluence. The story tells of the subtle destruction of the lives of promising young people saddled with heavy financial burdens. While telling her story, the author beautifully weaves into it her deep knowledge of music and art.
My Thoughts: This book of only 74 pages is one that can be read in one sitting although it took me a while to get into the story. The story was set in the city of Port Harcourt where I was born and raised, therefore, the familiar names and places drove the story home and made it me quite real as if I actually knew some of the characters. Mannequin is a story which brings to light the difficulties young people face when they are pulled down by the hand of fate and have to live a life that they were not prepared for. Tekena a young promising university graduate, raised by an affluent family suddenly finds himself as the bread winner of his family when his father is incapacitated and can no longer provide for him and his siblings. The harsh reality of realizing that all your friends and well wishers who flocked around you when the going was good, are no where to be found can either make or break you. This was thought provoking for me as I begin to wonder if for any reason, my husband and I can no more care for our kids if they have the skills to cope with the harsh realities of life. This has made me to re-evaluate my strategy in the way I am raising my children. I am now determined to find and learn ways to equip them with survival skills that will help them if the going gets tough. If Tekena had these coping skills, he may have found it easier to manage his new reality and learn how to carry the burdens that came with it.
This book may interest mostly young adults and even parents like me who may find something to learn from the story as I did. Enjoy your day….
