// Ogadinma by Ukamaka Olisakwe

TW : Rape, Abortion, Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse.

Ogadinma means Everything Will Be All Right in Igbo but the protagonist's life is anything but that. Before you proceed, perhaps I should tell you about the many triggering points in this novel starting from Ogadinma's rape when she's just seventeen. This marks the beginning of a long and intense journey that the young girl has to undertake in a very patriarchal African society. There are a lot of triggering points in the novel, from rape to domestic abuse but what makes it worse is the commanality of such instances happening in many households. Although it started off as a promising novel, somewhere after the second part, it all fell apart.

Ogadinma has a dream to attend University but without perfect scores and influence it is almost impossible for anyone to secure a seat. And so she visits one of her father's friend to seek some help only to be raped in return. She is then sent away to live with her aunt in the city who sets her up with her brother. Tobe is a charming man with a big smile and kind eyes, immediately putting her at ease. But beneath his eyes is a darkness that she fails to notice. The story also follows the political situation of Nigerian, which ultimately triggered Tobe's mean streak.

This is undoubtedly a feminist novel but the end felt rushed. What was until then a carefully written book, now changed to something that was running at full speed towards a hazy finish line. I've read my share of African literature which highlights toxic masculinity and patriarchy so certain aspects of this book didn't surprise me. For many reasons, i couldn't completely empathize with the young protagonist.

I'd still recommend this book to others. The writing is quite impressive for a debut novel and I'll certainly be on the lookout for Ukamaka's future works.