I received an audiobook copy of This Motherless Land by Nikki May from Libro, and I was thrilled to get into it! Part of it is set in Nigeria and I’ve been eager to explore more Nigerian literature lately. So, this was perfect timing. I had mixed feelings going in since I DNF’d this author’s debut, *Wahala* but I like to give authors a couple of tries before deciding if their work is for me.
My thoughts
This Motherless Land by Nikki May is set in Nigeria and England, and follows Funke, who has a Nigerian father and a (white) British mother. The story follow her from when she was a young girl until adulthood. Funke spends her early years in Lagos with her parents and brother, but after a tragic event, she’s sent to live with her mother’s family in England. The story unfolds from both her perspective and that of her cousin, Liv.
The scenes set in Lagos really stood out to me and were my favourite—the 70s and 90s Nigerian life were well-written. When Funke moves to England, We get to see how she navigates her new life and I liked reading on her “friendship” with her cousin Liv. The audiobook narrator’s Nigerian accent was a bit off here and there, but nothing that pulled me out of the story. This motherless land explores themes like identity, being mixed-race in Nigeria versus the UK, racism, colorism, grief, and family dynamics.
While I enjoyed the book’s engaging start, the story relied on a few too many convenient coincidences, which made the plot somewhat predictable. I found myself wishing for a less foreseeable, more thought out ending. I think she had the beginning down and probably didn’t finish the ending of the story. It felt like she sat down with her editor to brainstorm endings and they came up with it. Character-wise, there were definitely more frustrating characters than lovable ones. It seemed intentional, as the more unlikeable characters were focused on too much, and that definitely tested my patience at times. I wanted more from the characters – they all lacked depth. I usually love dual POVs but in this case, Liv’s perspective felt unnecessary. I found myself uninterested in her storyline. Overall, I would say go into this with minimal expectations and you’ll be fine.
Leave a Reply