I received this book as part of the book stash my hubby gave me on valentine’s day and as I am always interested in discovering new authors, I was glad to have it in my collection. I have seen a few people on Instagram share reviews on this book so I was curious it see if it would be worth my while.
‘Radio Sunrise‘ is a satirical story centered around Ifiok, a Nigerian Journalist living and working in Lagos at a government owned radio station – Radio Sunrise. In this narrative, Ifiok takes the reader the many realities of being Nigerian and living in Nigeria exploring themes such as corruption, militancy, bribery, oppression, bad governance, infidelity and a value system which worships money more than anything else.
This novel started very well for me as I found the protagonist’s narration very witty and relatable. I loved his sense of humor and the subtle questions about things like religion, politics and culture that were highlighted in this story. However, as It went on the story didn’t seem to peak as expected or even find a proper landing in the end. Although it tackled very important themes that resonated with me, it did not capture all these themes and tie them up nicely into something that would be memorable to me. I believe that this story had so much potential to be more but didn’t quite hit the mark.
Ultimately, it was just okay. If you like satires especially about Nigeria which will make you laugh, this may be your book.
Rating: 3 stars
Published: January 1st 2017 by Jacaranda Books
Pages: 288
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
The Author:
Isong grew up in Nigeria. He studied Communication and Language Arts at the University of Ibadan and Globalization and Communication at the University of Leicester. He has worked as a script writer and producer for FRCN and a freelance writer and editor for other organizations. He has written several short stories. Some of them have been published in Okike, Farafina Online, In Posse Review, Commonwealth Broadcaster, and Spirit of the Commonwealth. He has won a Commonwealth Short Story Award, a MUSON Poetry Award and the Oluadah Equiano Prize for Fiction. He lives in Leicester, UK.
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