THE BEAUTY of LOOKING AWAY by CHIMBUSONMA OBIAGWU

The Beauty of Looking Away, a book by Chimbusonma Obiagwu, is a supernatural thriller that deals with such themes as strength, courage, good and evil.

In the opening chapter of the book, readers are introduced to Ugonna Aku, a reserved, introspective teenager with relatively well-to-do parents and a bubbly best friend named Faith.

Ugonna’s life seems to be like that of any normal teenager until the day she overhears a heated conversation between her parents and her life is changed forever. 

As events unfold, it becomes clear that something is dreadfully wrong and only as Ugonna begins to have nightmares and dead bodies start piling up does she realise that the survival of everyone dear to her depends on her strength and courage. The question is: does she have what it takes to survive and succeed?

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK

Hmm…

The Beauty of Looking Away is suspenseful, intriguing and enthralling. I like the way Chimbusonma keeps readers in suspense right up to the middle of the book and even past the middle. The book also has an eye-catching cover that compels the reader to look at it again and again.

It however has some issues, chief of which is its editing.

As one reads the book, one gets the feeling that perhaps Chimbusonma was so excited about publishing her first book that she neglected to do proper editing; if not, how else can one explain the fact that a name in the book is started with a small letter instead of capital letter, or the fact that  LARGE CHUNKS OF SENTENCES ARE SOMETIMES WRITTEN IN CAPITAL LETTERS or bold letters for no apparent reason, or that certain words which need apostrophe lack it, or that….and the list goes on and on.

I also think that the ending was a bit rushed, especially the last three chapters. Information seems to have been lost between chapter thirteen and fourteen and readers are kept in the dark as to how a certain dead body was disposed of.

Finally, I find the title of the book to be a bit puzzling, especially after reading the book. One is hard-pressed to understand the relationship between the title and the content of the book after reading.

After all is said and done, however, kudos must be given to young Chimbusonma for embarking on the journey of writing; and because this is her first book, she can be forgiven for the errors made. While adults may not be particularly attracted to the book, it is one book that African teenagers might find to be to their taste.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chimbusonma Obiagwu, a transfer student from Lagoon secondary school,Lekki, Lagos State, graduated in 2017 from Trinity International College, Ofada, Osun state. The Beauty of Looking Away is her first book.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: DINNER with KING SOLOMON by MATSHONA DHLIWAYO

Hello people.

Dinner with King Solomon is a book written by Matshona Dhliwayo and published by Wise Words From a Foolish Son Inc.

In the opening chapter of the book, readers are introduced to Kevin, a forty five year old man who hits rock bottom financially when he is swindled by his business partner. In one fell swoop, he loses everything; his house, wife and kids.

Poor, helpless and full of despair, Kevin attempts suicide twice, albeit unsuccessfully. On his second attempt, he hallucinates and dreams that the Biblical King Solomon pays him a visit and gives him a bag of gold coins.

Kevin wakes up and to his surprise, he finds a bag of gold coins in his hands. What follows next is a discourse and a mind- boggling ending that will leave readers' minds reeling.

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK

Hmm….

I was blown away by the opening chapter of the book. I love the way Matshona took his time to describe Kevin’s fall from grace. As one reads the book, one can literally see the sprawling mansion, Kevin’s beautiful wife and kids, as well as the horrible car and the gangster neighbourhood that was painted in the book.

I also like the fact that the book is well edited which makes for an enjoyable read, free from the distractions caused by grammatical and typographical errors.

Halfway across the book, however, I was a bit puzzled as to its direction. One moment you're reading about a man who lost all and the next moment you’re reading about the Origins of Life. This leaves the reader wondering, ‘Did I miss something? How did I get here?’

Dinner with King Solomon attempts to answer, albeit in a subtle manner, questions such as Why do bad things happen to good people? The Origin of Life, etc.  

Anyone used to researching such themes will know that they are complex topics that are seldom appropriately covered even in philosophical books written for such purposes, let alone a fiction book. One can only wonder at Matshona’s boldness in attempting to treat such heavy topics in a small book.

Again, while Matshona’s boldness in attempting the subject is admirable, the discourse between Kevin and King Solomon sort of reminded me of certain interviews on television in which the interviewer nods his head in agreement with everything said by the interviewee, such that at the end of the day, viewers cannot help but think, ‘why not just ask the interviewee to give a speech rather than go through the question-and-answer charade?’

I wish Kevin had peppered King Solomon with more hard-hitting questions; for instance, at a point King Solomon says to Kevin that everyone has done bad things at one point or another in their life and so the question, Why do bad things happen to good people? is inherently flawed in itself.

While I may agree with that submission, if I were in Kevin’s place, I may have further asked ‘But what of babies born disfigured? Or toddlers sexually assaulted? What crime did they commit?’ Unfortunately, I am not Kevin and I’m yet to hallucinate about King Solomon so….

After all is said and done, however, Dinner with King Solomon is one book that the philosophically inclined will find interesting and mentally stimulating. It can be gotten on Amazon and any major bookstore.

Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: BOOK REVIEW: THE RULES OF WORK by Richard Templar

One of the most popular posts on the blog, The Rules of Work by Richard Templar is definitely a book worth reading over and over again. Please click on the link below for the book review.

 Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: BOOK REVIEW: THE RULES OF WORK by Richard Templar: The Rules of Work is a book written by Richard Templar in 2003 and published by Pearson Education. In the book, Templar describes ten r...

Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: BOOK REVIEW: DELIVER US FROM EVIL

Hello people.

There is no gainsaying the fact that humanity has made giant strides in science and technology in recent years, what with inventions like robots, artificial hearts, electric cars, digital music, Bluetooth technology, etcetera. 

I find it ironical, however, that whereas technological advancement is supposed to make man feel more secure in his/her environment, the opposite is the case. We are making giant strides in science and technology, but with them have come a greater need for the prayer ‘Deliver Us from Evil.’

In the news yesterday, it was reported that armed gunmen entered a Catholic Church in Anambra State and gunned down quite a number of the worshippers while the early morning mass was being celebrated. So far, the story making the rounds is that there was a misunderstanding between two drug barons based outside of Nigeria; apparently one reneged on a deal and the other decided to retaliate by killing the betrayer’s father who was in the church that morning. Unfortunately, the murderers in their quest for revenge also gunned down some innocent souls worshipping at the church. 

One can only wonder when all this senseless madness will come to an end. Sometime ago, the story of a Vice Principal who raped a twelve year old girl made the news rounds. Not too long afterwards, a group of schoolboys were abducted and held for months by kidnappers without conscience. 

News like this is enough to make one depressed and leave a sour taste in one’s mouth even as one wonders, ‘is it possible for humanity to make giant strides in moral uprightness, in addition to science and technology? It is because of this that I decided to share for the second time, a review of the book ‘Deliver Us from Evil’ by renowned apologist Ravi Zacharias. Please click on the link below for the book review.

Do have a lovely week. 

Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: BOOK REVIEW: DELIVER US FROM EVIL: Deliver Us from Evil is a classic book with a timeless message on the subject of evil. Written by beloved speaker and author Ravi Zach...