When Anthony Mukoro discovers he cannot father a child, his whole world comes crashing.
In the arms of a new crush, Odufa, a beautiful girl with a past, he finds the strength to face his fears and live again despite the whirlwind that threatens to devour the union.
But nothing is as it seems as they plunge into the bowels of this serpentine romance which alters their lives forever.
"Odufa: A Lover's Tale" is a novel in the Literary Fiction genre by author Othuke Ominiabohs.
Odufa is a lovely book, and indeed a lover's tale, although a sweet and bitter kind of love. When I picked up the book, I wanted to read only the prologue and get back to work but found myself reading over 100 pages.
The book tells the love tale between a young recent graduate, Anthony, the narrator, and Odufa a young beautiful girl, who is slightly older than he is. Anthony meets Odufa through her younger sister, Ulusi, who also likes him. In the beginning, it's tough for Anthony to make a choice, then eventually he picks Odufa and their love starts to grow. And like every other couple, it's hot and cold, but in the end, their love always gives them hope... (until it eventually didn't).
The book is divided into three parts: the first 'Friends,' the second 'Lovers,' and the third 'Strangers.' The first part was very engaging and interesting, I finished it before I knew it. The second part was interesting but too long... It seemed to be dragging along and I was happy, or rather relieved when I finished it. As for the third part, it was packed with suspense... That was where all the story, action, and revelation came out. While I'd love to give some information on the ending, I really don't want to spoil it, but it's one to make you stop and think, go back and read, then stop and think again.
The style and writing were also beautiful, as well as most of the expressions used... they made the story sound real and relatable. You could feel what everyone else was feeling. However, I had only two main concerns... the main character is a recent graduate, with no money, no job, and waiting to register for the Nigerian National Youth Service Corps, but the way he kept spending on Odufa and her siblings, and travelling round the country was not convincing. Sometimes, Odufa would call him and the next hour he's travelling to go and see her. Also, in the description and throughout the book, we are told that Odufa is a girl with a past, who resorted to alcohol/heavy drinking for help, but up until the end I never got to know what the 'past' was, and I only like guessing if in the end, I get answers. I didn't, and I didn't like that... so the book could have been a 5 star, but I'm giving it a 4.
In summary, I would say it was a beautiful tale. An interesting read. A nice read. A must-read.
4 STARS
Literarily Yours,
CMO.
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