The Liquid Eye of a Moon

by Uchenna Awoke

A Nigerian Catcher in the Rye, Uchenna Awoke’s masterful debut breaks the silence about a hidden and dangerous contemporary caste system.

Fifteen-year-old Dimkpa dreams of the day his father will be made village head. He will return to school and maybe even go on to university; his mother will no longer have to break her back foraging wild food to sell at market; they will have the money to build a fine tomb for his aunt Okike; and his family’s status as ohu ma, the lowest Igbo caste, won’t matter anymore. But when his father is passed over for a younger man, breaking tradition, Dimkpa realizes that he must make his own fate.

Journeying from his small village in rural Nigeria, to Lagos, Awka, and home again, Dimkpa learns that no money is easy money, that superstition runs deep, that knowledge is power, and that sometimes it is better to live in the present than to always be chasing a future just out of reach.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Africa, African Literature

352 pages, Hardcover

First published June 25, 2024

Reviews

[Rachel Louise Atkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Calling this the 'Nigerian Catcher in the Rye' is the most lazy way of saying that this is a coming-of-age novel and showing that you have absolutely no idea what either of these books are actually about.

[diamond · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was sent an advanced readers copy of this book but it simply is not for me. There's a slight derogatory way the main character speaks about women that I just couldn't get over. It's also a book I found really hard to get stuck into the story - there's a lot of information about everything and anything - yet not enough actually plot information?

Hoping this book finds it's audience!

[Meagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I was reading I thought “Nigerian Catcher in the Rye.” But I didn’t enjoy Catcher in the Rye.

[Zoe Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character, Dimkpa, is just insufferable and makes the book difficult to read. The inserts of various mythical tales between the chapters is interesting, but throws off the plot.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This interesting debut novel by Nigerian author Uchenna Awoke comes to us as the inaugural winner of an innovative program at the Arkansas International Writer-at-Risk Residency Program and the IIE Artist Protection Fellowship.

The Arkansas International Writer-at-Risk Residency Program provides each invitee with travel funds, visa assistance, employment, housing, professional contacts, language training (if needed) and any other necessity toward rebuilding a life, career and writing practice, free from persecution.

What a good idea!  The program was founded by novelist, translator, and professor Padma Viswanathan whose novel The Ever After of Ashwin Rao (2014) I admired some years ago, see here.

The Liquid Eye of a Moon is described in publicity as an African Catcher in the Rye, but though it shares the themes of teenage alienation and loss of innocence, really, it's more than that because there's a world of difference in the central characters' environments.  Holden Caulfield exemplifies privilege whereas Dimkpa lives in abject poverty in a village in Nigeria, captive to genuine oppression both because of scorn for his low caste in the village but also the government's determination to deny agency to his people, the Igbo.

Like teenagers the world over, fifteen-year-old Dimpka has dreams of glory but lacks the maturity to achieve them.  But besides the scrapes he falls into and the disasters that befall him, he is also hamstrung by intergenerational poverty.  His father's low caste means that he never gets a good job, and suffers the humiliation of being passed over as Head Man because he is ohu, the lowest in the caste system that still persists in remote villages in Nigeria.

Dimkpa's ambition to be the first person in his village to go to university collapses when he is fourteen.

It reddens my cheeks when I think of all this, now that I am an all-grown skinny boy who finished primary school at the age of fourteen after I lost one year to pneumonia.  My mother says it was pneumonia, but now I think it was malnutrition, too much cocoyam and tasteless cowage soup.  (p.9)

His next step is employment in Lagos, with a job as a houseboy to a wealthy woman they call Mummy.  The author deftly paints a portrait of the immense disparities in Nigerian living standards when Dimpka ventures hesitantly into her mansion.  For the first time in his life he eats well, and his duties are light, so he gets to read.  The catch is that he and the other houseboy are not there to cook and clean: they are there to provide entertainment for her, and the fiercer and more violent their wrestling matches are, the better she likes it.  And, like many domestic workers the world over, Dimpka learns that he is trapped there and cannot leave.

Not until he comes up with a cunning ruse to make Mummy want to be rid of him!

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/03/02/t...

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love a good sad book and I really enjoyed THE LIQUID EYE OF A MOON by Uchenna Awoke! This is a fantastic debut novel featuring good writing and sad subject matter. It’s about a Nigerian boy, Dimkpa, who’s in the lowest Igbo caste, and his journey leaving his home and family to pursue a better life. Throughout his life he encounters immense struggles and loss and failure but doesn’t give up and learns about growing up and finding his own identity. His family is so important and crucial to his successes such as returning to school. I really enjoyed the story within the story aspect as we learn about the superstition that runs deep in their family and the expansive timeline. I would definitely like to read more from this author.

Thank you to Catapult for my gifted review copy!

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel told very honestly in first person by a young man whose actions are not always likeable. The Biafran independence movement is a backdrop, as well as poverty and village life, and the hardship of an uncompromising caste system. The novel brims with cultural content and descriptions of the natural (and supernatural) world. A poignant moment for me was when Dimkpa says his language is trash compared with that of Zora Neale Hurston. "I figure I will never be able to write with a rhythm and flow like hers." Maybe Dimkpa doesn't, yet, but Awoke comes close.

[Danny Lloyd-jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the character development of Dimkpa and the general storyline of him trying to get his family out of poverty but being too immature and selfish to be successful. I thought some of the transitions were much too quick and huge gaps of time happened with little explanation. He went to university and now he’s back at the tomb doing the same nothing he does throughout this book and it all happened in a paragraph? I felt the book fell apart in the last 75 pages.

[Martha Anne Toll]

Here’s my review of this book for NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/06/25/nx-s1-...

[Anjana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read two books back to back with a similar family dynamic. This particular one is based in rural Nigeria and does not have an endearing protagonist.

Dimpka finds the weight of his birth and station in life a little heavy. He uses it as an excuse even when it's not actively adversely affecting his life. He feels his father's shame when their family are passed over for something they felt they deserved. His younger brother is now focused and better at getting to his goals, even if they seem meagre in comparison to Dimpka's high flying dreams.

There are several pieces of life, each beginning with promise until they crash and burn. I found it exhausting to read about it, even more so with the parallel story that I did not quite understand within the context of the whole book.

It was a disheartening book with probably realistic scenarios. I am glad I managed to read it all but I would not recommend it to anyone else. The writing was good but it was the story itself that felt daunting to me. I am not the kind of reader who frequently reads books of tough lives for the sake of it, and this was definitely one of the toughest lives I've come across recently.

It gave me insight into a world I've never entered before and I'm glad for the education.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

[Biggaletta Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star! This is this one of the best books I've read this year. It's follows the misadventures of the teenage Dimpka who is a 'good-for-nothing' and cowardly dreamer who constantly either fails or runs away from challenges or conflicts. It's also a half satire and serious view of Nigerian politics with the usual tropes. The praise is well deserved and I found myself laughing at parts. Yoruba Mummy is a memorable character, and he nails the character.

Uchenena Awoke's prose is delightful and makes this loser anti-hero bearable to read as we follow his misadventures and excuses and reasons for failure. It's good book and worth sticking with, and prose is fantastic.

Triggers - it covers Igboland caste systems which has traumatic scenes - this is in italics - it can be missed for sensitive readers, also some realistic scenes of Lagos and Nigeria's history. Uchenena Awoke pulls no punches and is pretty blunt.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Liquid Eye of the Moon: A Novel by Uchenna Awoke

Dimkpa is on the bottom of the Nigerian caste system. As the oldest son, he wants to pull his family out of poverty. But everything he tries is a failure.

He has a mystical connection with his deceased aunt Okike. He reaches out for signs of what path he should follow next, and then he follows her clues. In the end, he returns to extreme poverty along with his family.

This blend of a caste system and an authoritarian government that suppresses dissent is carefully crafted, and a warning as to what we face now in our country. Well worth reading!

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine getting into trouble so frequently that your mother took you to a church to be exorcised because she was convinced you were possessed. Wild, right? Not for Dimkpa. In this book we follow Dimpka on his journey from childhood to adulthood and see how he tries (emphasis on tries) to make it in life.

I learnt so much about Igbo culture from this book and most importantly I learnt to never fight with a mad person.

Definitely recommended 💯

[Joseph Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps it is Igbo story tradition shining through, but no other novel has evoked in me the same feelings of dread, of joy, and of knowing that sometimes, one must surrender oneself to the whims of fate as The Liquid Eye of a Moon outside of the great Chinua Achebe. A fantastic debut novel; I cannot wait to see what Uchenna Awoke comes up with next.

[Chimezie Chika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relevant novel that tackles the important topic of the debilitating ancient chaste system of Igbo people, which is still being sadly practiced in certain sections of the Igbo land.
Read my full review here:
https://www.afrocritik.com/uchenna-aw...

[Eliza Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the prose a lot. I thought the most interesting part of the story was the last 20 pages and that they should’ve been 200 pages since most of the themes + growth happened there. Very typical bildungsroman thematically speaking.

[Sherry Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was interesting, heartfelt family situations, and Dimkpa was definitely going through a lot. It was a good book to read!

[S. Nor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really stunning book that completely transports me into the world. Dimkpa is a funny, relatable young protagonist and it was powerful experiencing his journey in such a difficult place.

[Shally · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[Jayslibrary_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost gave up on this book. It starts off slow, and honestly, it was hard to stay engaged at first. But I’m glad I stuck with it because by the end, it turned out to be a really rewarding read.

Set during the Biafra War, the book dives deep into Igbo culture and spirituality, which I enjoyed. Uchenna Awoke does an amazing job of weaving these cultural elements into the story, making them feel essential rather than just background details.

Now, about Dimpka, the main character, I had mixed feelings. He’s the oldest son, determined to lift his family out of poverty, but man, does he make some questionable choices. At one point, he considers dropping out of school even after his family sold their land to pay for it, just because he wasn’t feeling it. Seriously, Dimpka? His decisions were frustrating, but they also made him feel real.

While the slow start was tough to get through, the rich historical and cultural details kept me going. The exploration of Igbo spirituality and the Biafra War added a lot of depth, turning this into more than just a story about one family’s struggles, it’s also a powerful reflection on a pivotal time in Nigerian history.

The Liquid Eye of A Moon may require some patience, but it’s definitely worth it. If you can push through the slow beginning, you’ll find a story that’s rich in culture, history, and a main character whose flaws will piss you off but make him all the more human.

[Anne Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uchenna Awoke is a Nigerian writer whose short stories have appeared in various publications. The Liquid Eye of a Moon, which is his debut novel, is a coming-of-age-story distinguished by the unique social, political and religious structures of today’s Nigeria.

Dimkpa is a 14-year-old Nigerian boy who lives with his family in a rural village. They can endure their poverty-stricken existence only through the anticipation of his father’s promised ascendancy to the role of village elder. However, because his family is decreed to be ‘ohu ma’ (outsiders) through an esoteric caste system, his father is passed over for what he’s always seen as his destiny, bringing shame on the family.

Dimkpa has always cherished an ambition to attend university so he can become learned and eventually find a lucrative position to support his family. He also dreams of being able to give his late aunt, with whom he shared a spiritual bond, a fitting burial.

But his struggle to achieve his dreams is fraught with continual mishaps, some of which are the result of his own unwillingness to accept what seems to be his doomed inheritance. He finds it impossible to tolerate the recurring pattern of his life that sees him repeatedly victimised by factionalism and violence.

Awoke depicts a lifestyle dominated by Igbo spirituality, ancient customs, traditions and cosmology, an understanding of which would have enhanced the reading experience. However, his portrayal of Dimkpa is compassionate and resonates with a deep understanding of how an individual can be shaped and moulded by cultural and societal prejudices and superstitions beyond his control.