Maik Nwosu, a professor of English at the University of Denver and the award-winning a
The novel starts on a nerve-jangling note: Ile, a Nigerian academic living in America, receives a mysterious voicemail from a law firm in South Africa. In the message, the caller claims to have a message from his grandfather — a man who died forty-four years, four months, and four days before, long before Ile was born. The message raises questions about whether the grandfather is miraculously alive in South Africa or if he has a secret family there.
Ile discovers the voicemail on a weekend and he must wait until Monday to call back the law office and unravel the mystery surrounding the man seen as “too spectacular for any simple story”.
The voicemail prompts Ile to reflect on the journey that led him to America for graduate studies, his choice to stay back because of the woman he loves, and his battle with anger and how his lover has compelled him to see Joel, a psychiatrist, who eventually becomes not just his confidant but also his best friend (until that shocking and heart-breaking scene in the novel’s last lap, a scene that got me saying ah and closing the book to recover from a twist I never saw coming).
He also reflects on the circumstances surrounding his parents’ deaths, Uncle Ibe’s harrowing encounter with a Pentecostal pastor, Nigerian parties in Houston and his experiences in Memphis where he moved to from Houston because of a job.
During this waiting period, he reaches out to his Uncle Ibe and his amazing Aunt Rosette for clarifications to the dilemma. However, their reactions are initially marked by an unusual silence which is foreign to their nature. When they finally speak, their responses feel like answers wrapped in questions, deepening Ile’s sense that there is more to the story — especially given the family’s long history of keeping secrets.
When his Uncle Ibe calls back and insists he must come back home for a discussion that, according to him, can’t be done on the phone, his worries mount. And when he finally speaks with Willem, the representative of the law firm from South Africa, who insists he must come to Stellenbosch, the puzzle deepens. He is unable to concentrate at work. Armed with a one-month leave, he sets out of the United States with his wife, Ella, to untie the knots of his life.
The Nigerian leg of the trip proves eventful, but it is in South Africa that the final pieces, to some extent, fall into place, revealing the intricate complexities of the human experience. The Eastern Nigerian leg of the journeys raises thought-provoking questions about the likely connection between his anger issues, the circumstances surrounding his father’s and grandfather’s deaths, and a long-broken ancestral promise. The revelations from the trips are compelling, adding depth and momentum to the plot as it hurtles towards a captivating conclusion.
The novel also offers insights into the complexities of marriage within the Nigerian community in Houston, shedding light on the unique challenges they face. It delves into the world of a fraudulent pastor who fabricates miracles, visits shrines, preys on widows, steals from tithes, and commits all manner of evil—all while hiding under the guise of ‘anointing.’
The Book of Everything is laced with humour, much of it delivered through the unforgettable Uncle Ibe and Egwuatu, the lawyer whose diction is gargantuan. More than once, I found myself chuckling, pausing to relish the wit before continuing.
Told in the first person and set across America, Nigeria, and South Africa, Nwosu explores the clash between the ancient and the modern and the ordinary and the fantastical in prose as smooth as honey. The poetry of his writing shines on every page, and his deft use of suspense keeps us turning the pages, eager to uncover the truth about Ile’s grandfather—the man whose grave he once believed he knew, only to later have reasons to question everything.
The last lap of the novel is super intense and the many questions the narrator asks add to its intensity and beauty. As sad as this part is, the author’s handling of it shows nothing short of class and reinforces his position as a writer and artist of unique skill and depth.
All in all, this novel is art at its finest—one that students of literature and art lovers will find deeply engaging as they peel back its layers, bit by bit.
Olukorede S. Yishau is the author of ‘In The Name of Our Father’, ‘Vaults of Secrets’, ‘United Countries of America and Other Travel Tales’ and ‘After The End’.
