The final book in my and Nadia’s @the.storygraph Jacaranda challenge! And I ended on a good one. I’ve been reading quite a lot of satire, by accident, and this is a highlight of this little niche. Set in Nigeria, Looking for Bono takes the international aid scene and cuts it to the quick.

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Our main character Baba is barely literate and boob-obsessed (that gets a little much at times I must admit), and one day, after seeing Bono on the TV, decides he’s going to get Bono to improve access to water in his community. It spirals from there, with Baba’s mission gaining traction, with newspapers and NGOs fanning the fire of his new-found celebrity. But how long can it last?

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Abidemi Sanusi exposes the fickle nature of hype, the abrupt speed with which social media will pick up campaigns and drop them again just like that. She also picks apart white saviour celebrities, whose motives are always self-serving and only applicable when the optics are right.

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This book was very fun, even with the serious matter at its heart. Everyone is double-crossing (or triple-crossing!) someone, with ulterior motives everywhere. The characters are all caricatures, but I had to keep reminding myself - that’s the point. It’s very well written, funny and assured! If you’re looking for satire that’s different to a lot of the stuff out there, definitely check out Looking for Bono!