An Orchestra of Minorities
Author: Chigozie Obioma
Chinonso was feeling a bit lost after the death of his father. All of that changes when he meets Ndali on a bridge at night. They subsequently find each other again months after their meeting and fall in love. However, staying together will be no easy task. You see, Ndali is from a wealthy family who reject the humble farmer Chinonso’s advances.
Despite their rejection, Chinonso is determined to change their minds. He sells everything he owns and leaves behind everything he has ever known, his fowl and his farm, in the hopes of winning over Ndali’s family and living with her happily ever after. That’s when it all starts to go wrong.
An Orchestra of Minorities is a wonderful book in which Chinonso’s determination to win over Ndali’s family is pitched against the inevitability of destiny. It is a heartbreaking and magical tale about how things don’t always go the way we want them to. It will have you in tears at various points. The language and rich descriptions perfectly bring to life the Nigerian setting of the tale.
However, what really stands out about An Orchestra of Minorities is that the story is steeped in the magic of Igbo mythology with Chinonso’s spirit guide as the narrator. His chi is telling his story in order to get a jury to forgive Chinonso for what he has done, making the reader know from the very beginning not everything is going to be rainbows and butterflies for the couple.
It is only February but I believe I have already read one of my favourite books of 2019!
> Naomi Round
