This Motherless Land
By Nikki May

I like Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, although isn’t my favourite of hers, that would be Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion, on near enough equal footing, but it’s good enough. ‘This Motherless Land’ interested me nonetheless after giving Wahala a high star rating and it didn’t disappoint. Thanks to Nikki May, I was gifted a copy of the book, a nice bookmark and a dip-dab, which I hadn’t had one of since I was a child. I can confirm it tasted how I remembered it and I enjoyed the fun that brought. Now, onto the serious stuff of the blurb and my review of the book.

Blurb

From the prize-winning author of WAHALA, a powerful de-colonial retelling of MANSFIELD PARK, exploring identity, culture, race and love.

When Funke’s mother dies in an accident in Lagos, she’s sent to live with her maternal family in England. Against a backdrop of condescension and mild neglect, sensible Funke strives to fit in, determined to become one of them.

Free-spirited Liv has always wanted to break free of her joyless family, to be nothing like them. Fiercely protective of Funke, she at last has an ally. The two cousins give each other what they need most: love.

But the past casts long shadows and the choices made by their mothers haunt them, shaping the trajectory of their adult lives. Can they escape their legacy?

Witty, warm, hugely entertaining, This Motherless Land bridges three decades and two continents, delving into the thorny territories of race and culture and belonging. At its heart is a story about love and how it can make the difference between surviving and thriving.

Review

Some re-tellings of stories work and some absolutely do not. This one actually does work and also in some ways, nicely sits alone too. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve read Mansfield Park (although I recommend you give it a go if not and this does have a flavour of Mansfield Park throughout) or not. I feel you can read it as it is, or with that particular story by Austen in mind, either would work, so don’t let that put you off.

Set in 1978 and goes onto 1986 and 1992, you can follow the lives of Funke and Liv in alternating chapters in what becomes a very compelling read. Each part starts with a fun reference to pop culture of the time. Funke’s mother is British and her dad is Nigerian and all should’ve been well, except tragedy strikes and her mum and brother die. I must say that I like that there’s a part that just calls death what it is and states that someone died, not lost, but actually died. There’s something refreshing about it.

Reading about Liv is lively and she has some issues and isn’t always happy in her life, so brings its own emotions carried along with it. She’s a fascinating character in that she’s looking for a different life from that of her family’s.

It’s an interesting coming of age story that weaves through, things that have a tinge of sadness, trying to find your place in the world, the friendships and relationships cultivated and betrayals that occur. There are also scenes like eaves-dropping on conversations, even when you don’t quite know what it all means, that adds an air of familiarity, dare I say, and also some humour. Humour filters throughout this book in some of how things like certain tv programmes have always been viewed at certain ages and stages in life and so much more. Many aspects of growing up, pop culture and more are colourfully captured in this book.

The book takes readers to Liv and Funke into when they’re entering adulthood and it’s a satisfying feeling that you’ve seen them through the formative years of their lives. They’re characters that are easy to embrace throughout, even when there’s a bit of going off the rails, but by that time, the investment is there and you need to know how it all ends and whether they can survive and also enter the lives they dream of.

As well as the entertaining side of life, the more challenging side of life is well-captured too, through skilful plotting and writing, making it feel complete.

The writing is strong and paints a picture of Nigeria through the years and in some cases, its place in the world on a global stage such as certain events.

It’s a vibrant read that you can just pick up on a summer’s day and just take some time to relax and read and read… All in all, I highly recommend it.