'Lonely Roads' by William Ifeanyi Moore

11:12 - 02 February 2016

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If you have never read a book about slavery, pharmacist William Ifeanyi Moore debut novel ‘Lonely Roads’ is written so that you experience and understand the brutality of that era.

This book tells the story of an unfortunate character Afab Udemba who was raised by Onu, a woman sacrificed to the gods, hated by her people and banished from the society.

As the story progresses, we learnt that Afam fell in love with the Adaobi, the daughter of a powerful and wicked chief because of this, he was sold to slavery.

The first 100 pages of this book was engrossing and interesting, I particularly enjoyed the struggles of Onu, the love and affection between Adaobi and Afam, and the long lost love between the warrior Esima and Onu and somehow, the book was even more amazing with this.

The author’s description of how degrading, dehumanizing and mentally torturous slavery is was very brilliant. It's so hard to believe that sacrificing a woman, killing people unjustly and selling people into slavery was so prevalent and accepted. The brutality of that era is so awful to even think about.

However, I disliked the ending of the book, Afam meeting his twin in America made no sense. And I mean NO SENSE.

How did the white man find out that the Afam was coming to America? Did he raise James as his son or as a slave? This part was just uninteresting and too superficial, and it took away from the book's strengths. I think ending with that part is ridiculous.

The writer of this book seemed to have too grand and all-encompassing, philosophical, love-like view on the slave experience. This book was particularly full of flowerly fluff and grandiose lamentations.

Coming out on the other end of this narrative, I have a greater appreciation for my own basic HUMAN liberties that I take for granted every day. Onu and Afam story moves me as a woman, angers me as an African, and shames me as a Nigerian to know that African leaders like Onwa once killed people for fun and sold their people into slavery.

I feel bad giving this book a low score but the only downside is his descriptions could have been summarized better and put into much better order.

Overall, I would say this book is interesting because it sheds light on a culture that no longer exists in modern times. Lonely roads makes a strong case in reminding us that while our realities may be different, the emotions that drive us are basically the same.

Rating: 3/5

Many thanks to the author for providing a copy of Lonely Roads in exchange for an honest review.