Emeka Nwakobi
Narrated by an unnamed five year old boy, Tope Folarin tells the story of a family from the time they migrated from Nigeria as a young couple eager to succeed, to the United States.
In the quest for education and greener pastures, a Nigerian man immigrates in 1979 to the United States. But he didn’t go to the regular places like New York where his peers at that time went to, because of his craving for isolation, he chose Ogden, Utah, a place chiefly populated by whites. His bride sailing on the wings of love, accompanies him.
For a few years, their dreams remain intact, their love seem to gain weight, as they birth their first and second male child. A lot of things remain unclear even till the end of this titillating story with unnamed characters, after the very brief bliss that this couple stuffed with hope, enjoyed. One is unable to restrain oneself from asking such questions as; was it the neighbourhood, the state they migrated to, or the issue of race or their seeming isolation from people of the same skin colour, which led to the decay in their mother’s mental health? Or was the realization that perhaps most of the dreams that gave flames to their love wouldn’t see the light of day, which forced her into dementia? Or was she just a willing tool, and so she let it ride on her mind? Whatever be the case, chaos crawled into their once beautiful lives. Their mother is irritable, quick to violence and demented, to the point where she begins to physical assault her husband.
Things further deteriorates, she leaves with the children with the help of the second of the only two characters named in the story, Joy. The shelter still didn’t bring the needed succor, she continues to switch from time to time, and molesting her first son for taking so much after his father, becomes her new way of letting out her hatred for her husband.
She returns back to Nigeria, after her children chose in court, their father over their obviously sick mother. But it is not this memory, corrupt with a lot of ills that makes a lasting impression on the mind of the five year old. It is the memory of his mother, sending a clear message of equality regardless of skin colour to Mrs. Hasen, the old lady who often walks him to school and leaves him the enticing offer of the post of her perpetual servant in heaven, only if he remains a good boy. In many ways this story resembles Folarin’s who was born and bred in Ogden, Utah.
Tope Folarin is a Nigerian-American writer. He won the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story “Miracle.” His short story “Genesis” was shortlisted for the 2016 Caine Prize.