A Pelican of the Wilderness

by Jacqueline Uche Agweh

At the turn of the century in Nigeria's Niger Delta, gangs and secret cults in the guise of militants hijack the struggle for equity in the exploitation of the country's oil wealth. Tonpre, suave privileged son of a judge finds himself inexplorably drawn into the clutches of such a gang. In the beginning, he relishes his new role, blind to lingering questions on the morality of the deeds of his cult brothers. Tragedy will force him to query his and their motives, and pull all concerned into a deathly grip of intrigue, murder and heartbreak. In her latest novel, Jacqueline U. Agweh wields the powers of a Amsterdam of the thriller genre to bring to her reader a satisfying story of her country's struggle with inequality.

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Taiwo Ajayi · Rating 2 out of 5]

how can i read

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Warning: this text may contain spoilers** So interesting

[Ifeoma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting read coming from the different perspective of a freedom fighter of the Niger Delta.

[Tinea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid thriller airplane reading to speed through, for Earth First and Earth Liberation Front internationalists looking for inspiration and perspective about how real it gets on the Niger Delta. What a shock to read this fictionalized-- at times fantastical-- account of government and corporate disregard for life and home and ecosystem of Niger Delta people on the week before the Nigerian military cleared Lagos slums with gunfire and bulldozers, forcing people off their raised plank homes onto canoes in the water, for corporate downtown 'revitalization.' I had to re-evaluate some parts of the book I considered (dark) fantasy.

When you're done, pick up some heavy Ken Saro-Wiwa for more on the story.

(This book is by a Nigerian author, published in Nigeria, and the first in my goal of reading as many Nigerians publishing in Nigeria during my short stay here)