Pride and Joy

Pride and Joy by Louisa Onomé, 336 pages

Joy is in the midst of setting up for her mother Mary's 70th birthday party when the birthday girl suddenly dies while napping. Already stressed about the party preparations and onslaught of pushy relatives and party guests, Joy's frustrations skyrocket when her aunt declares that a cow has prophesized Mary's resurrection two days hence (on Easter, as it happens). Before Joy knows what's happening, a public access religious program is sending a reporter to interview the family and livestream the resurrection, while hordes of strangers crowd the driveway of the rented home to hold a vigil in anticipation of Mary's return. Throw in a slew of self-centered relatives, an ex-husband Joy still cares for, and a pile of revelations, and it's no wonder Joy is ready to scream.

There's something that I love about dysfunctional family stories, and hoo-boy is this family dysfunctional! The mix of Nigerian culture, religious zeal, and Joy's control-freak nature is a perfect storm of nuttiness, which made the book feel a bit frantic and out of control at times (though, as that could also describe the characters, it's appropriate). If I could change anything, I'd give it a few extra pages of setup at the beginning before the craziness sets in. Otherwise, this was an excellent depiction of grief's many stages in the form of Joy and her relatives.

*This book will be published March 12, 2024.

Ties That Tether

 Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo (2020) 306 pages

Azere is a 25-year-old Nigerian-born woman living in Toronto. When she was 12 and still living in Nigeria, her father extracted a deathbed promise from her that she would marry a Nigerian. Her strong-willed mother is holding her to the promise, setting her up with Nigerian men with whom Azere finds no spark; some are male chauvinists who expect her to give up her career in advertising, which is not acceptable to her. After a particularly bad date, she goes into a hotel lounge and meets Rafael, a white man who is in town to apply for a job in Toronto, where he had lived in the past and wants to return. The chemistry is there, and they have a one-night stand.

They are both shocked a month later, when Raphael is introduced as a new employee at her company. It's awkward because Azere really wants to please her mother by finding a Nigerian man, but she finds herself unable to stop thinking about Raphael. Now she must take a stand one way or another, pitting herself against her mother by choosing to be with Raphael and possibly losing her culture, or by giving up the one man she has a strong connection to.

The story is reminiscent of some novels I've read where Asian-American parents try to choose mates for their adult children, but with a Nigerian backstory, in this case. And some secrets to shake things up.