Scan barcode
A review by findyourstory
Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
3.0
Argh. I'm really iffy with this book. First I'll say I really enjoyed the plot. Aliens in Lagos? Pretty interesting. The fact that almost all the characters in the book were connected somehow also made me smile. Sometimes it can seem contrived when that happens. I know Okorofor does that a lot in her books (in Who Fears Death it felt kind of forced IMO), so I wasn't surprised. I really enjoyed getting to know parts of the culture through Nigerian mythology and anthropomorphic spiders, bats and sea creatures. It really speaks to the Nigerian custom to feature wisdom-wielding animals in stories.
Now, the reason I'm at a crossroads with this book is the characters and plot holes. The first thing I thought was completely unbelievable is the trio's confidence in the President. Come on. Nigerians (and Africans) know how corrupt their politicians are. So it was weird that he was the chosen one to speak with the Elders. And also the romance between Ago and Adaora? What was that? I also didn't particularly like Ayodele. There wasn't much substance to her.
I do think that the strength of this book lies in the plot. It's a fast, interesting read with a lot of action. I would've loved to learn more about the aliens and their way of life instead of the superficial anecdotes we got.
Now, the reason I'm at a crossroads with this book is the characters and plot holes. The first thing I thought was completely unbelievable is the trio's confidence in the President. Come on. Nigerians (and Africans) know how corrupt their politicians are. So it was weird that he was the chosen one to speak with the Elders. And also the romance between Ago and Adaora? What was that? I also didn't particularly like Ayodele. There wasn't much substance to her.
I do think that the strength of this book lies in the plot. It's a fast, interesting read with a lot of action. I would've loved to learn more about the aliens and their way of life instead of the superficial anecdotes we got.