I fell in love with this author’s work when I read his crime series, ‘Easy Motion Tourist‘ and ‘When Trouble Sleeps’ therefore I was excited to read this book.
‘The Beautiful Side of the Moon’ follows Osaretin, an IT worker living in Lagos, Nigeria after he finds a strange note on his office table. Osaretin is suddenly drawn into this strange mystical world beyond his comprehension and this takes him back to reflect on the missing gaps from his childhood and new responsibilities ahead. This is a story about self discovery, secrets, responsibility and courage.
I am still relatively new to magical realism therefore I am not sure (in terms of what this genre offers) if this was super great or just okay. However, as a reader who loves a good story I enjoyed reading this one because It was captivating from the very first page and held my attention till I was done with it. The author’s ability to keep the reader on his/her toes was at play in this book and I experienced the same feelings/excitement I had when I read his crime series. Although, the back and forth between reality and the other realms were a bit confusing sometimes, I was able to get back on track after a while and enjoyed the ride. I liked the fact that it was written in a way where the reader had no choice but to join Osaretin on his journey towards self discovery and the familiar names and places in Lagos made it more relatable.
In a nutshell, this was a good read which I read really quickly because I just had to know which way the story will go. If you love reading fantasy stories or magical realism, then I highly recommend. I look forward to the next book in this new series and see where it will take us.
Rating: 4 Stars
Published: Published May 17th 2022 by Ouida Books (first published February 21st 2019)
Genre: Magical Realism
The Author:
Leye Adenle is a Nigerian writer. He has written a number of short stories and flash fiction pieces. Leye has appeared on stage in London in plays including Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again. He comes from a family of writers, the most famous of whom was his grandfather, Oba Adeleye Adenle I, a former king of Oshogbo in South West Nigeria. He lives in London.
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