BOOK REVIEW
Title: ‘The Road Once Taken’
Author: Gbudje Efe Blessing
Publisher/Year of publication: Onileagbon’s Sight and Sound/2017
Reviewer: Emeka Esogbue
This is an 80-page fictional book
with the story-line particularly set in Libya, a North African country. It is
beautifully divided into chapters that sums six in all, untitled though. Chapter
one opens with the despondency of Linda, the protagonist, utterly crestfallen
by the trials gifted her by fate. At this point, her mother, a petty trader
whose shop is not far off from their home, tries to hearten her but she is too
downhearted for any comfort. The curtain opens on Linda’s paternity; her
father, dead, was a teacher in a primary school who was not well-enough so he
had to support his means of livelihood with farming on weekends. As we are told
in this chapter, Linda’s father was also a member of the king’s cabinet who
used his position to avert an impending combat between his community and
neighbouring Umunze over a parcel of land.
From the account made available
to readers, he was shot on emissary by enemies that ambushed him. What followed
his death was invocation of the cultural practice in which four months after
the interment, the deceased elder brother made moves to inherit the widow and assets
left by her deceased husband. Irked by this action, Linda’s mother dashed to
the palace but was advised by the King to respect the people’s tradition. This
cultural situation is blamed on conflict of ethnic disparity as the woman
complained that her deceased husband, an Igbo, did not inform her of this
cultural practice before the marriage was contracted. As it turned out, it was
actually inherited by Linda’s uncle. Chapter two opens discussions on Linda’s UTME
experiences. The attempt was her fifth and it was here that Linda met Chioma,
the girl she would strike friendship with. Sadly, she failed the exam again as
did Chioma. But like a people that fate would bind, they both found a way to
get into the university to obtain diploma. Here in the university, bad fate
came calling as Ajibade, the lecturer, notorious for sleeping with female
students and receiving bribes from their male counterparts approached Linda.
She maintained her dignity but that was not enough to see her through; Mr.
Ajibade ensured that she never passed his course.
The chapter closes with Linda’s
encounter with a completely amoral Boss of the company where she sought
employment. And after she could not tolerate his amorousness, she ended the
job. Chapter three would extend Linda’s employment happenstance in another firm
where the amorousness of her Boss reenacted, and again she terminated the job. It
was in the heart of her hopelessness that she reunited with Chioma who on
promising her better life, invited her to Libya thought to be a bed of roses to
work as a house help. Chapter four begins with the long tortuous trip to Libya.
Although the journey was initially premised on flying on air, she soon realized
that it was a deceit as her international passport suddenly got missing, making
it a journey by road. And as the Author would describe it, it was “laced with
stress, hunger, thirst and the dangers of desert-crossing”.
Once in Libya, much to her
surprise, she was told by Mr. Kunle, the driver that she was owing them Four
Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira for getting her through the desert and landing
her in Libya. Consequently, she was taken to a hotel called Baba Koa Connection
House where was expected to live and make money for her mistresses as a
prostitute. Male “customers” who hailed from Ghana, Niger, Chad and Nigeria
were turned in to her but she kept refusing them and in the process incurred
the anger of her “employers” who as a consequence of that action took her to
Chioma who was now queenly in the business. Chioma not only warned her on the
consequences of her actions but instructed that her phone be seized and also arranged
her transfer to Tripoli where according to her, beautiful girls were on high demand.
The journey was intercepted by soldiers who ordered that she be taken back or
risk deportation, an action that forced them to return her to Sabbah. Few days
later, they succeeded in crossing her over to Tripoli and was made to stay in
White House, a club house owned by Maleek, a Moslem.
She was soon handed to Shina who
took her to Omies, another club house, later raided by soldiers but she managed
to hide behind a refrigerator but was soon discovered by some Benin guys who on
trying to assist her, handed her to certain woman, where she gained some air of
freedom until Shina reappeared to demand her release to him. Linda was handed
to Tunji who also handed her to Tope and Bola, a couple which operated Tejura,
a club house. The couple was to later separate as a result of the
misunderstanding they had so she returned to Gigarage owned by Ola, a Nigerian.
The Author tells the story of the bleeding she experienced due to the Bouba or
what they called “Baby wipe”, forced into her to prevent unwanted pregnancy and
STDs. Although she received medication, she narrated her plight to a lady who
obliged her the phone number of a certain Israel Ajayi in Tripoli for help. Chapter
six, which is the last chapter of the book opens with Israel Ajayi who
disguised himself as Alhaji that wanted to have sex with her. On seeing her, he
approached the owner of the connection and told her that he wanted a night with
her, and after initial refusal, she accepted his proposal. This singular
exploit provided her the escape she needed.
Soon, the lady whose phone was
used to contact Israel Ajayi was identified and later found dead with her body
hanging on a ceiling fan in her room but the game to haunt down Linda by Kunle
and Shina continued. Before long, Chioma and Obama caught up with her. Throwing
her inside the car, they made to drive off when a car suddenly blocked them.
Obama drew out a gun, cocked it and was ready to pull the trigger when Chioma
was fired in the head and she died instantaneously. Obama also died and Linda
was grabbed and put in a car that sped off. Just then, it turned out that Israel
was one of her rescuers. Linda resumed her stay with Israel and for the first time,
sent some money to her mother in Nigeria. The unfortunate incident of how she was
hit by vehicle was narrated by the Author. She was though medically cared for but
as it turned out, the Doctors reported that only with the grace of God she would
she walk again. Linda soon discovered that Israel’s love for her has not only
gradually faded off but Israel has leased off the apartment they both cohabited
and had disappeared. She soon sought help at the Nigerian High Commission in
Libya and with the assistance of the High Commission, she was back to Nigeria;
and in Nigeria, she got hooked to Austin whom she wedded.
The book is a narration,
recounted by the Author and does not bear conversations by any two or more
persons, which makes it easy to comprehend. The storyline appears realistic
with actual forenames, landmarks and names of places such as hotels and club
houses mentioned. The Author must be praised for her apt geographical knowledge
of Libya, human trafficking and the Libyan environment as a whole and for
digging into the culture of widowhood practices in which women. She also dug
into the maltreated suffered by widows at the loss of their husbands. The book
also contains genuine travel advice and assistances such as “Advice to
Nigerians in Libya”, “Work and Residence Requirements”, Legal Advice” and
“Useful Contacts”. However, I wish to point out that the Author failed to
utilize dialogues in passing the story. Again, not much of figures of speech
are contained in the book. Although Umunze is cited as Linda’s ancestral home,
we never got to know the names of her parents. Other than these, the book is prized
and useful to every household as it teaches some lessons.
I therefore recommend this book
to you.
Being a review of the book by Elder Emeka Esogbue during the book presentation in Lagos.
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