Let’s go! Bolatito! Okay so I recently finished Bolatito and honestly, I did not know what to expect. A quick disclaimer, this was one of the first times I read a book fully off of a recommendation and did not even read the blurp! But I must say…it was a risk worth taking.
With any good adventure, there were some early challenges. Not gonna lie, I struggled to get comfortable with the tone of the conversation between some characters. The dialogue was formal and polite, yet still playful in a weird way, which was not something I was used to. The other major challenge, to be honest, was putting myself in the shoes of the female perspective (reading the blurb would probably have helped with this), as a man seeing life through that perspective was mind-opening but also rather challenging.
But as I said, it was a risk worth taking, I went on an emotional road trip, that had me even on breaks between chapters processing what I had just read. It’s a quality story, that had me reassess the role of love and belonging within a family dynamic.
Let’s get into it
Writing
Okay writing, like I’ve alluded to previously. It took me a while to get into the writing style on display. The story is set in Lagos and puts on display the dynamics of a family when one of its members is on active duty. To be clear, the vernacular was very formal, much more than I’m used to or could imagine when speaking to my own elders. I believe this was done on purpose to illustrate how respect is given through language alone speaking more between the lines than the lines themselves.
Subtle was the name of the game, both in how the characters reacted to one another and to some extent how the environments were described for the reader. Having lived in Nigeria and having been in a hospital imaging the environment was not so difficult. Imaging the boundingly joyous attitudes of our favorite nurse in the ward was easy to see as I’ve seen that character in real life. That reassuring yet audibly annoying affection that Tito’s parents have for her was easy to understand, but I do wonder if people outside the culture would be able to see it as clearly…I think that does add to the charm of the writing though.
Overall, I would say the book was well written, but the story itself pushed me forward over how it was presented.
Writing (3 / 5)
Story
Okay, it’s a super story! Actually though! I’m trying my best not to have spoilers in this. But I will say this I was hooked after page 32. The story of Ifu’s childhood and then the introduction of Anwuli got me hooked. From there I was fully invested in this young girl’s future and the hurdles the family had in front of them.
The story bounces between 3 primary main characters, Bolatito (Tito), Ifunaya (Ifu), and to a good extent Azuka (will make more sense if you read the book).
The story starts off in the present, as 2 of the main characters find themselves in the hospital. And bounces back between the past and the present as characters reveal more of themselves to each other, we learn more about their history. This goes on till their feelings for each other and our feelings for the individuals caught up in the present. One of my favorite storytelling mechanics, it literally unravels bit by bit as the puzzle pieces align so we may understand why things are the way they are. At the beginning, I was a bit indifferent to the story of Tito, as at this point I had heard many of the like, but by the end of it I was in full support of the path she had chosen and how she hopes to impact those around her.
Now I will say when the past and the present caught up with each other, at least to some extent you could predict the ending. But you could not predict the way it happens. Hopefully, that puts you on. And unlike this review, I would say the pacing works extremely well!
The beginning is purposely slow, again setting up characters and motivations, creating a sense of urgency as we bounce between Ifu and her father. I think it was because of this that the actual turn in the middle of the story felt sudden. We had just gotten used to the status quo before things changed direction and in a way another story started with the full introduction of a new main character.
My only wish for the ending is to see a bit more into the future than a year after the happenings, as to me, it would take a bit longer than a year for one to adjust to a new normal…but maybe that’s just me.
Story (3.5 / 5)
Characters
I would say that without a doubt in terms of pure character development, it would go without saying that Tito showed the most. As is the nature of her story. You see her at her lowest low and piggyback on her way to a much better state of mind and being. She was able to get there thanks to her own resilience, a newfound mission in life, and of course the inspiration of the amazing Ifunaya.
I personally have not been through an auto-immune disease, though I do have family relatives who have. So I will say the author did a great job in depicting the experience, without having characters fall into the damsel in distress. In fact, the true character of those individuals is shown at their weakest, one’s ability to find meaning even in the midst of the deepest pits of despair, is the manifestation of Tito. So I really appreciated her character.
At the same time, the bromance between Azuka and Usman is amazing! Amao showed the amazing impact a positive male figure can have on anyone’s life, especially Usman and Ifu. It felt really good to have good black men, be the norm in this story rather than the anomaly. Though the more toxic side of masculinity is also shown through a different character, as well as, to some extent Usman.
The star of the show was of course Ifu, I won’t say too much as I’d rather people experience it for themselves. But there is something magical about the brave innocence of this little girl as she fights for her life and without knowing it the lives of many around her.
Characters (4.5 / 5)
Recommendation
Let’s tally that up:
Writing 3 / 5
Story 3.5 / 5
Characters 4.5 / 5
Total 11/15 – Recommend!!
The perspective of life shown was amazing, the honesty and vulnerability of the characters was a site to behold. There were genuine moments in my day while reading this, where I wonder out loud how is Ifu doing… I should probably write letters to my mum (if you know, you know 😀).
However, I do feel like the sudden change of pace in the middle section and perhaps the spread out attention to many characters, meant that the impact of certain moments did not hit as much as I wanted it to.
I would definitely recommend a friend to read this, this of course is just my opinion though, what’s yours?
