Before I go into this review, I have to let you know that aside literature books for school and quick spins in school magazines, I had never read a novel set in a Nigerian background. Just as I avoid Nollywood, I also avoided Nollybooks. However, this book is the second that changed everything for me and in a span of two days; I consumed two more, written by Nigerian authors. Let us get into it.
Written by Jane Igharo, The Sweetest Remedy is centered on a young woman bred in San Francisco. This woman got to meet her father, who was of Nigerian descent, once. The next time she is summoned by her father is for his funeral. In this book, we journey with the female protagonist to a land she does not know, to meet people who have no idea she exists.
My Opinion of this book
Frankly, I did not know what to expect when I started, but relating and understanding the female character, so much was not one of them. Just like me, a single mom raised Hannah and she had to navigate life with a loss of identity. She had to fill those spaces with things she had passion for but that gaping hole never really went away. Not until she met her entire family.
I love this book for so many reasons. Apart from the romance, which was steamy enough to keep it PG and the humour, the book explored other topics like identity crisis, betrayal, family values, trauma and self-love. This book was as entertaining as it was inspiring. It passed a message across while still giving the audience that spice and pizzazz! It was everything.
My Opinion of the characters
We see the development of the characters, most especially Hannah. We follow her as well as the Jolades in this mission of self-discovery. I read from Tiwa the eldest, to Segun, the last and only boy. As I read, I came to understand that the author explored not just the concept of family but the intricacies, the small threads of love and forgiveness that held family together.
I thank God for Dami, the carefree spirit who was an anchor that Hannah never knew she needed. Segun, the silent confused half-brother who was also beautiful at heart. Iya, Hannah’s grandma and of course, Lawrence, Hannah’s love interest. I also think the author did a great job in letting relevant characters narrate in the book. This way, we saw and understood all the lines and in between.
The Character: Hannah
Reading Hannah sparked many emotions within. From excitement, to awe then anger and then love. Hannah left all she knew, all that defined her to go to a foreign land where she would most likely not be accepted because fact, she was the daughter of their father’s mistress; one stigma that already followed her as a child. She had to live with the knowledge that she was not wanted. That can do a number on a woman’s self-esteem, and we see that in her relationships as we go further. Meeting Lawrence, reading their romance blossom, puts depth into it because with his actions, we learn that Hannah had been treated different. This is not news at all. Women like Hannah always end up loving everyone but themselves.
As we delve deeper, we see that Hannah deals with identity crisis. She does not know who she is even if she claims to. She settles for less because that is what she has been taught to live with. Hannah is a character that speaks what most young women (especially fatherless ones) in Nigeria face today. I cannot explain how much of this I relate to. She had to learn what family truly is in the end, and while her heart bled as she did, she found herself in the process.
The Nigerian Experience
Even for me who is Nigerian, this just gladdened my heart. We have so many stories and pictures circulating the world that is only focused on the deficiencies of our country. This story defies all that logic and shows what true beauty we hold as a nation. It doesn’t try to paint the truth and exclude the fact that we are a third world country, what it does is place these two contrasts side by side, and this proves to be a very important element in the story.
Conclusion
A Sweet Remedy is a book worth reading. If you are looking to try something new (if you are like me) or just at a loss to what other book to fill you in for the weekend, I recommend. You will be pulled into a world that holds reality and fiction woven together as one. This book will whet your appetite while showing you real world events through endearing characters who all have a story to tell.
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