Review: "Taduno's Song" by Odafe Atogun

Much like my experiences with most European literature and most Latin literature, I have had fantastic experiences with most of the African literature that I have come across. It is always different enough to feel fresh and new but familiar enough to hit all the rights spots so certain feelings and emotions the book conveys do not get lost in translation (although in fairness you can say that about most international literature, at least for the kind that is good). And Taduno’s Song, the debut novel from Nigerian author Odafe Atogun, is another gem from a faraway world. Its front flap describes it as Kafkaesque and it has some stylistic similarities to A. Igoni Barrett’s Blackass, another novel taking place in Nigeria, but what sets this apart from that book, and the label itself is how filled with hope the story is and its focus on the power of the human spirit instead of its weaknesses and corruptibility. It is a very jarring technique that truly elevates this book and makes you believe in what is happening despite some of the more nightmarish incidents that occur in the book. Just now as I am writing this, if there was any recent book I can compare it to, it would have to be Jonas Karlsson’s The Invoice, itself a small book readily handling large themes and one that takes a premise that would fall to easily and conveniently into cynicism and use it to tell a story filled with humanity’s unlimited potential. It begins simply enough as Taduno, exiled from his country for making troublesome music, receives a letter from Lela, his girlfriend back home. She has been kidnapped by the government for radical activity. This forces Taduno to return to his home country, but when he does, he figures out rather quickly that no one remembers him. It is not a case of waning relevance though: his closet friends, his producer, his girlfriend’s family, all of them have not a clue who he is. It is from this nightmarish reality that Atogun balances most of the stories power on. It is a haunting premise, one that is milked and explored in great detail, every bit of which hits like an psychological gut punch. But through it all, the reader is never quite able to forget about the power Taduno holds, even as his situations, fluctuates, gets better, gets worse and finally reaches unimaginable levels of suffering. It all leads to a final few pages that contain and immense power. It doesn’t shy away from those involved and although it is sad, it is ultimately uplifting and a victory for the book’s hero in its own strange way. Filled to the brim with rich characters (something a lot of books described as “Kafkaesque” tend to sorely lack), memorable scenes and a deep passion for living, all this despite its slim 233 page length, do not let this book’s quaint humility fool you. It and its writer are dealing with themes and ideas that are large and magnificent. 

Rating: 5/5