The Shadow of a Smile

by Kachi A. Ozumba, Ben Onwukwe (Narrator)

Torn from his father and a loving sister, the young student Zuba is imprisoned for a crime he has not even thought about committing. His to live in a world where corruption is rife and honest and law-abiding people are crushed by the wheels of a blind, unscrupulous bureaucracy.

What seems at first to be an irksome judiciary misunderstanding gradually becomes a journey through the hell of Nigerian prisons. Only by showing the utmost daring and integrity will Zuba be able to regain his freedom.

Funny, crude, poignant, Kachi Ozumba’s debut novel reveals the darker side of a country striving to consolidate democracy after years of dictatorship and tribal in-fighting. There is as much of The Shawshank Redemption in this story as there is Don Quixote, and lovers of Chinua Achebe, Ben Okri and J.M. Coetzee will also find much to delight and inspire them.

Genres: Fiction

Audible Audio

First published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book - finished reading it on holiday - would recommend!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was well done but rather than finding it funny I just found all the corruption quite depressing.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book for a reading group that I have recently joined and so spent a lot of the time I was reading it being confused about why it wasn't good, having assumed that a reading group would be a great way to access great literature that was new to me. I was wrong and it turns out no-one else in the group liked it either! The central character left me cold, the book tries to be funny about a subject that really is no laughing matter, and at the times the plot is almost farcical (he is probably aiming for Kafka-esque and missing) with some very heavy-handed and completely unnecessary twists at the end. I may be doing this book a terrible injustice - having approached it expecting similarities between it and Purple Hibiscus which clearly bears no comparison - but as no-one else in the reading group had much good to say of it (with 2 people not even finishing it!), maybe not...

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair I’ve only read an ARC of the first three chapters and so my opinion has to be based on those. I’m not sure that getting to read the whole book would incline me to mark this any higher. My problem is that I’ve only one other African writer (co-incidentally also a Nigerian) who I can compare him to and as that’s Ben Okri perhaps any comparison would go in Okri’s favour.

I think the subject matter is important but unless I had been sent a review copy this isn’t one I would have looked at it twice. I found the cultural divide a bit wide.

You can read a detailed review on my blog here.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a book group and whilst I didn't love it I am glad I persevered with it, as it's an interesting story about corruption and degradation of a man trying to do the right thing. I suspect I struggled with the book because it was such an alien culture to me; conversely many of these difference were what kept me going to the end. It's quite a sad tale, in the end, and I think that what stood out for me was not the situation of the main character Zuma, but that of his friend Ike - who didn't have money but was dragged down even further in his friend's shadow. In the end, it was this character that I cared most about, not the rich privileged young man the book centres on.

[Yve Tyfama · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reveals the ways of life in the world of bribery and corruption. It's insightful to see the impact putting money above lives can have on someone. Also how it can change the direction of their path within the space of seconds.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping and insightful!!! Kinda reminds me of The Shawshank Redemption in some funny and sinister way, but set in Africa.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping and insightful!!! Kinda reminds me of The Shawshank Redemption in some funny and sinister way, but set in Africa.

[Andrew]

Shortlisted for Ondaatje Prize 2010

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://maryokekereviews.blogspot.com....

[Aoibheann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really disimproved 3/4 through

[Ajeya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good pass-time. An ending that is inconclusive. I would have read even if the author extended the book by 100 pages. Writing is simple narrative and easy to understand.