‘Three’s company. Four’s a crowd’ - ‘Wahala’ by Nikki May.
Wahala is a Yoruba word meaning trouble and in this lively comedy-drama wahala walks into the lives of Ronke, Simi, and Boo, three Nigerian-British friends living in London. They have all experienced racism in their day-to-day lives though haven’t allowed it to hold them back.
Now in their thirties, they each face new questions about their futures. Ronke is keen to settle down though insists any potential husband be Nigerian; Boo is finding marriage and motherhood a strain; while Simi, working in high fashion, is frustrated by her boss constantly referring to her 'urban vibe'.
Then Isobel, a glamorous friend from Simi’s past, arrives in town and quickly inserts herself into the women’s lives. It’s not long until she’s creating waves and even if the friends are unaware, it’s clear to the reader that she’s trouble with a capital W. Still, no further details to avoid spoilers.
‘Wahala’ celebrates the fusion of British and Nigerian cultures in relation to its protagonists’ lives. I found this a highly engaging novel that is a brilliant exploration of friendship. Of the women, Ronke was my favourite though someone needed to sit her down and talk to her about body image. Being Size 12 is not ‘huge’!
I felt that ‘Wahala’ was wonderful. It is funny and heartwarming in places, poignant in others, and also delivers on plenty of tension, mostly through witnessing Isobel’s machinations, and some twists.
In its opening chapter, titled ‘Aftermath’, Nikki May is very clever in planting a number of clues before moving back in time four months to chart the journey to those events. Each subsequent chapter cycles through the viewpoints of Ronke, Boo, and Simi. May finishes with a few recipes that had featured in the novel.
There has been a great deal of prepublication buzz about this debut novel and I felt that it was definitely warranted. Given my positive experience, I feel that it is likely to prove popular with book groups as it is well written, readable, and provides plenty of opportunities for discussion on its themes.
Very highly recommended.
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Customer reviews
Top reviews from other countries
V. O'Regan
Lively comedy drama about friendship and trouble
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2022Verified Purchase
Bukola Akinyemi
Easy read, dramatic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 March 2022Verified Purchase
Bukola Akinyemi
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 March 2022
By Nikki May
Different, that’s one word I would use to describe this book. For me, it was like reading a reality show instead of watching it.
Set in London, this story mainly follows three friends, Ronke, Simi and Boo.
The three friends seem really close until Isobel, a friend from the past arrives. We start seeing holes in the tight friendship. Isobel is a crazy character, she gets close to each of the other ladies and brings out the worst in them.
Themes covered in this book include race (all three girls are mixed-race) culture, marriage, friendship and parenting.
The writing style is conversational which makes it an easy read.
I love the cover, especially the UK version pictured above.
The ending part of this book reminded me of My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite and I’ll better stop there before I drop more spoilers.
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Michele
Worth every star!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 January 2022Verified Purchase
Rob Clarke
Funny, poignant and engaging view of Nigerians living in the U.K.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 January 2022Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
raced through this
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 April 2022Verified Purchase
