Now you know that Nearly All The Men in Lagos Are Mad
A review of Damilare Kuku’s Nearly All The Men in Lagos Are Mad by Eunice Tokula.
Nearly All The Men In Lagos Are Mad is a collection of 12 short stories depicting various characters that reveal the unscrupulous ridiculousness and amusing possibilities of the Lagos dating scene.
From the moment you pick it up, it is near impossible to rid your mind of the compelling narratives captured by Damilare Kuku.
The stories are narrated in various styles including first-person, second-person and third-person in past and present tense. The writings are easily understood and relatable by the average Nigerian as infusions of pidgin, Nigerian English and some Nigerian languages are thrown in for context. Humour is well delivered and oh, the romance is to pine for!
This book treats love, pain, commitment, sex and everything in between in modern relationships, indulging the vexations of Lagos Lovers towards NEARLY all Lagos men.
From the lazy husband in the Cuck Up; the marriage opportunist in The Gigolo From Isale Eko; the Mama’s boy in Ode-pus Complex and even to the rapist in Independence Day, this read explores some very sensitive topics such as adultery, cheating, cheap gigolos, catfishing and the effect of social media, sodomy, shamelessness and other vices.
A Lover’s Vendetta opens thus,
“If we ever meet again, only one of us will leave the encounter unharmed. If I don’t kill you, I will leave a mark so deep and prominent on your body, people will cross the road for you. Anybody with sense will look at the mark and know that only a worthless person will do something deserving of such a scar. They will be as pitiless with you as you were with me for four years, Dele.” (pp 78.)
Her catchy openings pull you in as they are effortlessly interesting and funny, as the case may be, putting forth pressing issues enclosed in layers of humour.
Damilare Kuku’s NATMILAM is a fun book for any one. I recommend!
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Eunice Tokula is a 300level Agriculture student of Usman Danfodiyo University. She loves to read, write creative pieces, watch memes and explore music. She’s a member of Book o’Clock. You can reach her via her email tokulaeunice@gmail.com.
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