“Welcome to Lagos” by Chibundu Onuzo (Nigeria) 

Synopsis

Five runaways ride the bus from Bayelsa to a better life in a megacity. They are unlikely allies: a private, a housewife, an officer, a militant and a young girl. They share a need for escape and a dream for the future. Soon, they will also share a burden none of them expected… Read more

Review

The four shortlisted books for this year’s Summer Reading Group varied greatly in style of writing and author’s experience, from the seasoned writer to the relative newcomer. When it came time for voting for Best Summer Read 2018, two books tied for first place: “The Travelling Cat Chronicles” and “Warlight”. One reader commented on this result saying how she couldn’t quite come to terms with the tie between the brilliant “Warlight” and the mediocre “Travelling Cat Chronicles,” adding that she guessed that’s the joy of the book club to which we wholeheartedly agreed!

“Welcome to Lagos” by Chibundu Onuzo (Nigeria) was chosen as the Summer Reading Group’s Coup de Cœur Summer 2018. It tells the story of five eclectic characters looking for refuge in Lagos for various reasons. Readers loved the community of different characters and the connection they formed with each other. They found it easy to warm to them and felt drawn into the craziness of what happens. They liked the way the book was divided into parts and loved the newspaper clippings that started each chapter in the second part. The least experienced writer of the four, readers thought she had a lot of talent and look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Nicola’s Summer Reading list 2018

“The Travelling Cat Chronicles” by Hiro Arikawa (Japan) *
“To the Back of Beyond” by Peter Stamm (Switzerland)
“Warlight” by Michael Ondaatje (Canada) *
“Welcome to Lagos” by Chibundu Onuzo (Nigeria)

* Best Summer Reads
In italics, SRG’s Coup de Cœur