What do you think?
Rate this book
And After Many Days
An unforgettable debut novel about a boy who goes missing, a family that is torn apart, and a nation on the brink
During the rainy season of 1995, in the bustling town of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, one family's life is disrupted by the sudden disappearance of seventeen-year-old Paul Utu, beloved brother and son. As they grapple with the sudden loss of their darling boy, they embark on a painful and moving journey of immense power which changes their lives forever and shatters the fragile ecosystem of their once ordered family. Ajie, the youngest sibling, is burdened with the guilt of having seen Paul last and convinced that his vanished brother was betrayed long ago. But his search for the truth uncovers hidden family secrets and reawakens old, long forgotten ghosts as rumours of police brutality, oil shortages, and frenzied student protests serve as a backdrop to his pursuit.
In a tale that moves seamlessly back and forth through time, Ajie relives a trip to the family's ancestral village where, together, he and his family listen to the myths of how their people settled there, while the villagers argue over the mysterious Company, who found oil on their land and will do anything to guarantee support. As the story builds towards its stunning conclusion, it becomes clear that only once past and present come to a crossroads will Ajie and his family finally find the answers they have been searching for.
And After Many Days introduces Ile's spellbinding ability to tightly weave together personal and political loss until, inevitably, the two threads become nearly indistinguishable. It is a masterful story of childhood, of the delicate, complex balance between the powerful and the powerless, and a searing portrait of a community as the old order gives way to the new.
During the rainy season of 1995, in the bustling town of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, one family's life is disrupted by the sudden disappearance of seventeen-year-old Paul Utu, beloved brother and son. As they grapple with the sudden loss of their darling boy, they embark on a painful and moving journey of immense power which changes their lives forever and shatters the fragile ecosystem of their once ordered family. Ajie, the youngest sibling, is burdened with the guilt of having seen Paul last and convinced that his vanished brother was betrayed long ago. But his search for the truth uncovers hidden family secrets and reawakens old, long forgotten ghosts as rumours of police brutality, oil shortages, and frenzied student protests serve as a backdrop to his pursuit.
In a tale that moves seamlessly back and forth through time, Ajie relives a trip to the family's ancestral village where, together, he and his family listen to the myths of how their people settled there, while the villagers argue over the mysterious Company, who found oil on their land and will do anything to guarantee support. As the story builds towards its stunning conclusion, it becomes clear that only once past and present come to a crossroads will Ajie and his family finally find the answers they have been searching for.
And After Many Days introduces Ile's spellbinding ability to tightly weave together personal and political loss until, inevitably, the two threads become nearly indistinguishable. It is a masterful story of childhood, of the delicate, complex balance between the powerful and the powerless, and a searing portrait of a community as the old order gives way to the new.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published February 16, 2016
63 people are currently reading
2426 people want to read
About the author
Jowhor Ile
5 books52 followersJowhor Ile was born and raised in Nigeria. His fiction has appeared in The Sewanee Review, McSweeney’s Quarterly and Litro Magazine.
(from http://jowhor.com)
(from http://jowhor.com)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
June 13, 2018
i was very glad to win this book through the firstreads program because i was kind of shocked to realize, when i was writing my gr year in review, how long it had been since i'd read an african novel. the pace of my purchasing them has not slowed, but i'm not really reading the books i buy anymore because i've foolishly made promises to authors, publishers, friends, netgalley & etc and the books i buy just kinda sit there waiting for me to honor my commitments and return to them. winning this put it in the "deadline - read now" pile, so while i still have plenty of books glowering at me, at least i'm getting back into african lit.
unfortunately, this wasn't the triumphant return i'd hoped for.
ile's a good writer, so i would be very happy to try another book by him, but this story and these characters didn't worm their way into me.
what i did like was that while the premise of this novel is the 1995 disappearance of seventeen-year-old paul utu from his home in nigeria, because of the structure of the story - looping as it does back and forth through time, through the p.o.v. of paul's younger brother ajie, paul is actually present for most of the book. this decision allows the story to transcend the done-to-death scope of the missing person/grieving novel; instead it showcases paul's life before his disappearance, highlighting "what was lost" rather than "loss" itself.
this is a coming-of-age novel for ajie, growing up in a postcolonial nigeria caught between tradition and modernity, outgrowing itself too quickly, where change and violence are inseparable.
ajie has to navigate all the typical obstacles of growing up and becoming a participant of the world, as well as the additional pressures trickling down into his relatively well-off family from forces they can neither control nor anticipate. he looks up to paul, and looks at the world around him. he doesn't always understand the importance of what he witnesses, or see the line underscoring events that will eventually culminate in his brother's disappearance, but he's a good observer for the reader, who has the luxury of the bigger picture.
it's a good family drama, but it's too small to satisfactorily cover as much social and political turmoil as it attempts and it ends up reading like a superficial highlights reel of nigerian troubles. the family saga is slow and drawn out and the background unrest feels rushed and shallow by comparison.
but i'll happily give this author another shot, because his writing (particularly in the backstory of the parents) can be both graceful and severe, which got my attention even if the book as a whole didn't destroy me.
come to my blog!
unfortunately, this wasn't the triumphant return i'd hoped for.
ile's a good writer, so i would be very happy to try another book by him, but this story and these characters didn't worm their way into me.
what i did like was that while the premise of this novel is the 1995 disappearance of seventeen-year-old paul utu from his home in nigeria, because of the structure of the story - looping as it does back and forth through time, through the p.o.v. of paul's younger brother ajie, paul is actually present for most of the book. this decision allows the story to transcend the done-to-death scope of the missing person/grieving novel; instead it showcases paul's life before his disappearance, highlighting "what was lost" rather than "loss" itself.
Now, this was what Ajie wanted, this way that Paul had of becoming something after he had read about it; this way he had of claiming things for himself. He had joined himself to a we, an us. A corrupt official had been exposed in the papers for misappropriating pension funds, and Paul was expressing betrayal, even anger, about it.
How do you make yourself do that? How do you learn how to work yourself up over something that's not directly your concern?
this is a coming-of-age novel for ajie, growing up in a postcolonial nigeria caught between tradition and modernity, outgrowing itself too quickly, where change and violence are inseparable.
ajie has to navigate all the typical obstacles of growing up and becoming a participant of the world, as well as the additional pressures trickling down into his relatively well-off family from forces they can neither control nor anticipate. he looks up to paul, and looks at the world around him. he doesn't always understand the importance of what he witnesses, or see the line underscoring events that will eventually culminate in his brother's disappearance, but he's a good observer for the reader, who has the luxury of the bigger picture.
it's a good family drama, but it's too small to satisfactorily cover as much social and political turmoil as it attempts and it ends up reading like a superficial highlights reel of nigerian troubles. the family saga is slow and drawn out and the background unrest feels rushed and shallow by comparison.
but i'll happily give this author another shot, because his writing (particularly in the backstory of the parents) can be both graceful and severe, which got my attention even if the book as a whole didn't destroy me.
come to my blog!
February 13, 2016
This is the story of a Nigerian family living amidst unrest in their county in 1995. This is the story of a thriving, successful family , with professional parents and children who go to boarding school . It's a story of parents who love their children and children who behave as you would expect siblings to . But then the eldest son , Paul , goes missing and their lives are upturned . After Paul's disappearance, the narrative moves back and forth to the past and back again so even though Paul is missing, we come to know him as we do his Ma , his father Bendic , his sister Bibi and brother Ajie.
But then I felt a bit bogged down by the details of the political landscape and what was happening in the country with the government and the oil companies . It felt slow at times . There were certainly some poignant moments, not the least of which was a past event with Bendic and Ma but I just was not fully engaged as much as I had hoped to be . It could be because I'm on vacation and just not focused and it turned out to be a three star read for me - I liked but didn't love it . I have to admit that I finished it because I really wondered what happened to Paul. It was certainly a lesson about a place and events I knew pretty much nothing about . It is through this family and their day to day life that the time and place come to life .
Thanks to Random House and Edelweiss.
But then I felt a bit bogged down by the details of the political landscape and what was happening in the country with the government and the oil companies . It felt slow at times . There were certainly some poignant moments, not the least of which was a past event with Bendic and Ma but I just was not fully engaged as much as I had hoped to be . It could be because I'm on vacation and just not focused and it turned out to be a three star read for me - I liked but didn't love it . I have to admit that I finished it because I really wondered what happened to Paul. It was certainly a lesson about a place and events I knew pretty much nothing about . It is through this family and their day to day life that the time and place come to life .
Thanks to Random House and Edelweiss.
March 10, 2016
Ajie is the youngest son and the last person to see his seventeen year old brother before he foes missing. He is also our narrator. So we learn the history of this family, the political unrest always present, the greed of the oil companies and how this affects the country, and how his disappearance effected the family. This novel goes back and forth and once again I felt this kept me at distance from the story. Kept me from feeling close or forming any emotional bond with the characters. The hook though was I wanted to learn what happened to Paul.
Wanted to like this more than I did, the writing is gorgeous. The story informative but....... the story is told in a very unemotional manner, maybe this was the problem. Honestly can't put my finger on it. So this was good but I wanted, needed more.
ARC from publisher.
Wanted to like this more than I did, the writing is gorgeous. The story informative but....... the story is told in a very unemotional manner, maybe this was the problem. Honestly can't put my finger on it. So this was good but I wanted, needed more.
ARC from publisher.
May 8, 2016
1995. The Political.
Nigeria has asserted its independence from Britain 35 years ago, but the devastating aftermath still resonates through all fronts of the post-colonial struggle. The militarized government (overturned and replaced in coups multiple times) executes human-rights activists it labels dissidents (BBC News). University students take to the streets in protest as reports of police brutality percolate the toxic atmosphere.
As metaphorical darkness reigns, the (actual, physical) lights go out. Nigeria’s primary provider of electricity cannot sustain the country’s expanding grid as oil shortages are reported. Big Oil has been plundering the Nigerian landscape for years (Ogoni people struggle with Shell Oil, Nigeria, 1990-1995), and now the economic havoc caused by the wreckage comes into focus.
1995. The Personal (Is Political).
Young Ajie is plagued by guilt. Last to see his brother Paul, Ajie cannot stop turning the events of that day over in his mind, looking for clues to Paul’s disappearance. Later, he recalls:
And After Many Days weaves the story of Paul’s disappearance into a broad tapestry that evokes the plight of a country fighting for its identity after hundreds of years of colonization. As Ajie and his family think about what may have happened to Paul, they recount the story of their family, and, in the process, of Nigeria. It is a striking contrast: told through a young boys’ eyes, the quotidian aspects of life, even amidst the violence, emit an optimistic sheen; still, profound loss is the driving force of the novel, in both the personal and political dimensions.
As a novel, And After Many Days does not work terribly well, because it lacks a plot and compelling force that drives the story forward. Rather, AAMD unfolds as a casual stroll through Nigeria (in space, and time), with commentary. Still, this commentary for me is worth four stars – I knew embarrassingly little about Nigerian history before picking up this book, and Ile’s work taught me a pinch while sparking my interest in learning more, and in seeking out other Nigerian authors.
I received this book from the publisher via Blogging for Books. All opinions are honest and solely my own.
Nigeria has asserted its independence from Britain 35 years ago, but the devastating aftermath still resonates through all fronts of the post-colonial struggle. The militarized government (overturned and replaced in coups multiple times) executes human-rights activists it labels dissidents (BBC News). University students take to the streets in protest as reports of police brutality percolate the toxic atmosphere.
As metaphorical darkness reigns, the (actual, physical) lights go out. Nigeria’s primary provider of electricity cannot sustain the country’s expanding grid as oil shortages are reported. Big Oil has been plundering the Nigerian landscape for years (Ogoni people struggle with Shell Oil, Nigeria, 1990-1995), and now the economic havoc caused by the wreckage comes into focus.
1995. The Personal (Is Political).
Young Ajie is plagued by guilt. Last to see his brother Paul, Ajie cannot stop turning the events of that day over in his mind, looking for clues to Paul’s disappearance. Later, he recalls:
"Things happen in clusters. They would remember it as the year the Mile Three ultramodern market burned down in the middle of the night… It was the year of the poor. Of rumors, radio announcements, student riots and sudden disappearances. It was also the year news reached them of their home village, Ogibah, that five young men had been shot dead by the square in broad daylight."
And After Many Days weaves the story of Paul’s disappearance into a broad tapestry that evokes the plight of a country fighting for its identity after hundreds of years of colonization. As Ajie and his family think about what may have happened to Paul, they recount the story of their family, and, in the process, of Nigeria. It is a striking contrast: told through a young boys’ eyes, the quotidian aspects of life, even amidst the violence, emit an optimistic sheen; still, profound loss is the driving force of the novel, in both the personal and political dimensions.
As a novel, And After Many Days does not work terribly well, because it lacks a plot and compelling force that drives the story forward. Rather, AAMD unfolds as a casual stroll through Nigeria (in space, and time), with commentary. Still, this commentary for me is worth four stars – I knew embarrassingly little about Nigerian history before picking up this book, and Ile’s work taught me a pinch while sparking my interest in learning more, and in seeking out other Nigerian authors.
I received this book from the publisher via Blogging for Books. All opinions are honest and solely my own.
February 6, 2017
Rating: 4.5 stars of five, rounded up because DAMN
My painful memories made this a tough review to write. I want to stress that my deep delight in the author's writing talent is the one idea you should take away from my review, live now at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud.
#ReadingIsResistance to repression and to corporatism co-opting the state to the detriment of the people. A four-plus star read, a beautiful example of writing, a Nigerian author whose work we all need to watch. Amazing things are coming from Jowhor Ile.
My painful memories made this a tough review to write. I want to stress that my deep delight in the author's writing talent is the one idea you should take away from my review, live now at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud.
#ReadingIsResistance to repression and to corporatism co-opting the state to the detriment of the people. A four-plus star read, a beautiful example of writing, a Nigerian author whose work we all need to watch. Amazing things are coming from Jowhor Ile.
August 1, 2016
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thanks to Goodreads and Tim Duggan Books.
I was very excited to receive this since I LOVE books about Africa. This debut novel sounded like it had all the right ingredients to hold my attention - a family drama in a country undergoing political and social unrest, with the oldest son mysteriously disappearing as conflict escalates between corrupt government, corporate oil interests and local citizens and students caught in the middle. Unfortunately, I had a hard time maintaining interest in the story. None of the characters resonated enough with me to make me care about them and the narration rambled around aimlessly. It did pick up a bit towards the end, which helped save it for me a little bit.
This was a decent debut but I would have liked to have seen a bit more heart to it. I think this book is missing "the feels" that makes a story truly memorable.
I was very excited to receive this since I LOVE books about Africa. This debut novel sounded like it had all the right ingredients to hold my attention - a family drama in a country undergoing political and social unrest, with the oldest son mysteriously disappearing as conflict escalates between corrupt government, corporate oil interests and local citizens and students caught in the middle. Unfortunately, I had a hard time maintaining interest in the story. None of the characters resonated enough with me to make me care about them and the narration rambled around aimlessly. It did pick up a bit towards the end, which helped save it for me a little bit.
This was a decent debut but I would have liked to have seen a bit more heart to it. I think this book is missing "the feels" that makes a story truly memorable.
March 2, 2016
Keen sensitivity and insight fuel this bittersweet story of a family grappling with a personal tragedy in a time of political turmoil. It is 1995 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria and the hard earned stability of the Ute family is shattered when Paul, a promising seventeen year old, leaves to visit a friend, and does not return. The story is narrated by Ajie, now an adult as his reminisces about his coming to terms with his childhood and family. Ajie is consumed with guilt as the last person to see his older brother; he did not even look up as Paul breezed out of the house. As the family seeks to find Paul, we learn of about the Nigerian state of mind of the time and the Ute’s family history both struggling with becoming modern and not forgetting the past.
While these themes are not new to readers, Ile’s way of turning a story with his graceful prose, brilliant pacing and an informative sense of place makes this a rich and memorable read.
This debut novel showcases that what may seem like unabashedly ordinary can be so utterly captivating as I savored this book from beginning to end.
I recommend for readers of cultural fiction and family stories.
Readers who enjoyed The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma will find common ground with this story.
A couple of quotes I liked:
“The dead will not be consoled; neither will those who live in the skin of their dead.”
“Few people, very few, have a treasure, and if they do they must cling to it and not let themselves be ambushed and have it taken from them.”
While these themes are not new to readers, Ile’s way of turning a story with his graceful prose, brilliant pacing and an informative sense of place makes this a rich and memorable read.
This debut novel showcases that what may seem like unabashedly ordinary can be so utterly captivating as I savored this book from beginning to end.
I recommend for readers of cultural fiction and family stories.
Readers who enjoyed The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma will find common ground with this story.
A couple of quotes I liked:
“The dead will not be consoled; neither will those who live in the skin of their dead.”
“Few people, very few, have a treasure, and if they do they must cling to it and not let themselves be ambushed and have it taken from them.”
January 16, 2016
I attempted to read this book but with little to no interest. I mean the story started out fine and for a while I was actually intrigued with what happened to Paul but my excitement disappeared and I found myself just going through the motions until I finally put the book down with no sadness or care for finishing the book. None of the rest of the characters voices were that strong other than for Ajie but even as the story went on his voice grew silent. The other voices were just not loud enough for my to stay invested in the story. Plus, the switching from past to present I found was not as streamlined as I liked and it would stop my flow of reading at times to the point that I would have to re-read the section. Of course part of this could have been due to the fact that I was not focused on the story as a whole 100%.
July 4, 2016
Haunting novel rooted in a political reality. I received this book from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. This title will be released February 16, 2016.
The Utu family live a comfortable life in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. One day in 1995, their 17-year-old son Paul goes to visit a neighbor and disappears without a trace. His younger brother Ajie was the last person who saw him and is burdened with the guilt that he doesn't have any information that will help find his brother. Ajie begins to recall past events to try to come to an understanding of the situation and pinpoint the exact moment where everything went wrong for his family. The events of the present were set into motion long before the Utu children even existed.
The publisher summary is misleading. I was expecting a Nigerian Everything I Never Told You. This novel is subtle and even more character driven. It has a starting point and an ending point, but the bulk of the book is a series of recollections. Mostly told in flashbacks before Paul's went missing, the vignettes portray a tender portrait of family life against the backdrop of growing political unrest. While the shadow of Paul's disappearance lurks in the background and adds a new emotional weight to seemingly unrelated events, it is not at the forefront. The publisher calls this a "tale that moves seamlessly back and forth through time." I wouldn't say seamless because sometimes the story would switch gears abruptly. That didn't hurt my understanding of the book, but I had difficulty placing a few of the individual flashbacks on a timeline.
It is really beautifully written. I loved the depiction of the Utu family, each member a fully-drawn character. Benedict, the justice-minded patriarch, reminded me a little of To Kill a Mockingbird's Atticus Finch. Ajie, the character through which we observe most events, is independent-minded and strong-willed. He idolizes his big brother Paul and has a conflicted relationship with his big sister Bibi. The most touching part of this book was Ile's masterful portrayal of the complicated love between siblings as they navigate growing up together. They fight fiercely, but they also love fiercely. They have a shared history and unique bond that can not be replicated. The following passage really resonated with me:
My husband worked in Nigeria during our engagement and the first few years of our marriage, so I am always interested in books set there. I had already read a few books from Nigerian authors and paid special attention to news from there. I think a basic knowledge of 20th century Nigeria really increased the impact the book had on me.
This novel deals with the human cost of political conflict and greed, as well as the impact the actions of the past have on the present. If you pick up this novel expecting a plot heavy suspense novel or whodunit, you will probably be disappointed. This quiet novel will be most enjoyable for contemporary literature fans interested in Nigeria and those who like slice-of-life family stories.
------
All quotes are taken from an uncorrected manuscript and aren’t final. Please refer to a finished copy.
Draw yourself a straight line, walk backwards on it to erase your footsteps and you will trip and crack your skull. Straddle the two sides of a stream and you will unhinge your hips. Be unstable as waters and you will not excel.
The Utu family live a comfortable life in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. One day in 1995, their 17-year-old son Paul goes to visit a neighbor and disappears without a trace. His younger brother Ajie was the last person who saw him and is burdened with the guilt that he doesn't have any information that will help find his brother. Ajie begins to recall past events to try to come to an understanding of the situation and pinpoint the exact moment where everything went wrong for his family. The events of the present were set into motion long before the Utu children even existed.
The publisher summary is misleading. I was expecting a Nigerian Everything I Never Told You. This novel is subtle and even more character driven. It has a starting point and an ending point, but the bulk of the book is a series of recollections. Mostly told in flashbacks before Paul's went missing, the vignettes portray a tender portrait of family life against the backdrop of growing political unrest. While the shadow of Paul's disappearance lurks in the background and adds a new emotional weight to seemingly unrelated events, it is not at the forefront. The publisher calls this a "tale that moves seamlessly back and forth through time." I wouldn't say seamless because sometimes the story would switch gears abruptly. That didn't hurt my understanding of the book, but I had difficulty placing a few of the individual flashbacks on a timeline.
Like the pendulum on their parlour wall, they swung to both ends of dread and hope, but generally stayed in balance: no hysterical outbursts, no screaming and pounding the walls for answers, no silent bitter tears that soaked up the pillow when you lifted your head in the morning. There was just stillness. Something quiet crept about the house, made you feel a sudden chill and sprayed your arms and neck with unexpected goose rash.
It is really beautifully written. I loved the depiction of the Utu family, each member a fully-drawn character. Benedict, the justice-minded patriarch, reminded me a little of To Kill a Mockingbird's Atticus Finch. Ajie, the character through which we observe most events, is independent-minded and strong-willed. He idolizes his big brother Paul and has a conflicted relationship with his big sister Bibi. The most touching part of this book was Ile's masterful portrayal of the complicated love between siblings as they navigate growing up together. They fight fiercely, but they also love fiercely. They have a shared history and unique bond that can not be replicated. The following passage really resonated with me:
Before the beginning of his memory, which was to say from the beginning of this life, there had always been the three of them. Paul and Bibi were the first people he saw, the first he touched. Everything he resented and liked, everything he knew, thought and felt, his smile and the angry pounding in his veins were all from them, and now, for the first time, taking notice of this made him feel incredibly lonely. The sort of lonely feeling that Bibi would have been tempted to slap out of him. Just the kind of thing that would have made Paul look at him in his usual bemused way and say, 'My friend, what are you saying? Please be serious'. But he sensed it that night, it hung about the room, the feeling that things may not always be like this, that they would one day grow up and live across town from each other like Ma and her cousin Aunty Julie or even die like all of Bendic's siblings whom he hardly ever spoke of. Paul turned around in his bed, the distant drumming had stopped, and mumbled something in his sleep, and Ajie was sure he could hear Bibi softly breathing from the room next door.
My husband worked in Nigeria during our engagement and the first few years of our marriage, so I am always interested in books set there. I had already read a few books from Nigerian authors and paid special attention to news from there. I think a basic knowledge of 20th century Nigeria really increased the impact the book had on me.
This novel deals with the human cost of political conflict and greed, as well as the impact the actions of the past have on the present. If you pick up this novel expecting a plot heavy suspense novel or whodunit, you will probably be disappointed. This quiet novel will be most enjoyable for contemporary literature fans interested in Nigeria and those who like slice-of-life family stories.
Few people, very few, have a treasure, and if they do they must cling to it and not let themselves be ambushed and have it taken from them.
------
All quotes are taken from an uncorrected manuscript and aren’t final. Please refer to a finished copy.
January 18, 2016
And After Many Days
By: Jowhor Ile
Publisher: Tim Duggan Books
Copy Courtesy of Reading Room Giveaway
Reviewed By: tk
Paul Utu is missing. When Paul leaves that morning and says goodbye to his younger brother Ajie, it will be the last time anyone will see him. As straight forward as that sounds it is a tragic event for this family. It is 1995 in a time of struggles and life changing events for the Utu family. Many are poor and violence is unpredictable in Port Harcourt Nigeria. What happened to Paul, and will he ever return to his family?
Ajie will tell a tale of many events from the past and beyond.
I found this ideal. A fresh twist in a sad and heart felt story. Most of the plots read about missing person(s) is told by the investigation point of view. Not this story. Ajie will tell you about his family, traditions, superstitions, and unending love for his brother Paul.
Jowhor Ile brings to you an intense story that will weave its way into your heart and soul. From the first page to the last this feelings of loss, desperation, guilt and love are build on a series of family secrets. It left me a bit breathless when I read the last pages. A must have in your library.
5/5
By: Jowhor Ile
Publisher: Tim Duggan Books
Copy Courtesy of Reading Room Giveaway
Reviewed By: tk
Paul Utu is missing. When Paul leaves that morning and says goodbye to his younger brother Ajie, it will be the last time anyone will see him. As straight forward as that sounds it is a tragic event for this family. It is 1995 in a time of struggles and life changing events for the Utu family. Many are poor and violence is unpredictable in Port Harcourt Nigeria. What happened to Paul, and will he ever return to his family?
Ajie will tell a tale of many events from the past and beyond.
I found this ideal. A fresh twist in a sad and heart felt story. Most of the plots read about missing person(s) is told by the investigation point of view. Not this story. Ajie will tell you about his family, traditions, superstitions, and unending love for his brother Paul.
Jowhor Ile brings to you an intense story that will weave its way into your heart and soul. From the first page to the last this feelings of loss, desperation, guilt and love are build on a series of family secrets. It left me a bit breathless when I read the last pages. A must have in your library.
5/5
February 24, 2016
Paul, a seventeen year old Nigerian boy disappears one evening in 1995 and this story follows the family during the days after his disappearance. The tale weaves back and forth into the past, to the childhood of Paul, his brother Ajie and sister Bibi, and the time spent with their parents in both Port Harcourt and the family's ancestral village.
The author covers family relations, political developments and community action all in one spellbinding story, never losing the thread of Paul's disappearance and it's effect on his family and their constant search for answers. There were wonderful descriptions of sibling rivalry and the changing nature of things in both rural and urban environments. The themes of love, loss, tragedy made the book hard to put down. Overall, it was an incredibly well written, moving story that made me laugh and cry. It told me so much more than simply how a family deals with loss and change. It told me about constant change in a community and a nation as a whole.
Thanks to Library Thing and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
More reviews at: www.susannesbooklist.blogspot.com
The author covers family relations, political developments and community action all in one spellbinding story, never losing the thread of Paul's disappearance and it's effect on his family and their constant search for answers. There were wonderful descriptions of sibling rivalry and the changing nature of things in both rural and urban environments. The themes of love, loss, tragedy made the book hard to put down. Overall, it was an incredibly well written, moving story that made me laugh and cry. It told me so much more than simply how a family deals with loss and change. It told me about constant change in a community and a nation as a whole.
Thanks to Library Thing and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
More reviews at: www.susannesbooklist.blogspot.com
November 17, 2016
I feel a little bad that I didn't like this book more. It had an important story to tell but the manner in which the book was written kept me at a distance from the characters and the important events in their lives. At the beginning of the book Paul, the 17 year old son of a middle class Nigerian family, goes missing. However, it is not until the last 40 or so pages of the book that you find out what happened to him. It was unfortunate that I never really got to know Paul, or his siblings and parents.
I was interested in reading about life in another country about which I know almost nothing, but digressions made it slow going. I would have preferred a more linear plot. It took me months to finish this short book, but I do not regret having persevered. If I had hated the book I would have abandoned it, but there was something about the author's voice that I liked. The author touches on political unrest, military dictatorship, student protests and environmental exploitation in a very superficial way. I was hoping for more.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
I was interested in reading about life in another country about which I know almost nothing, but digressions made it slow going. I would have preferred a more linear plot. It took me months to finish this short book, but I do not regret having persevered. If I had hated the book I would have abandoned it, but there was something about the author's voice that I liked. The author touches on political unrest, military dictatorship, student protests and environmental exploitation in a very superficial way. I was hoping for more.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
August 24, 2020
Paul turned away from the window and said he needed to go out at once to the next compound to see his friend.
I don’t like books with clunky first sentences. I don’t like contemporary realistic books about disappearances and grieving families. Because of this, I don’t know why I picked up And After Many Days.
But by page 6 I knew I was in it until the end.
Yes: Paul, the oldest and most-beloved of three siblings, leaves his Nigerian home one day and doesn’t come back. Cue the sobbing; cue the screaming; cue the hyperbolic prose in face of a heart-slashing tragedy.
Or let’s try this:
“[The Utu family] sat in the parlor until long after midnight. Twice the lights went out, but no one moved[.] … The silence was so sudden and pure, it seemed as if the clock on the parlor wall had come to life, the slender second hand scraping its halting way around like a cripple.”
When I read this whole paragraph – several sentences longer than the excerpt above – my throat tightened and my stomach flipped. Jowhor Ile never writes ‘grief,’ ‘sadness,’ or ‘worry.’ He doesn’t depict the individual reactions of mother, father, sister, brother. They’re a family waiting up for the son who should have come home hours ago; their hope and fear is too intermingled and too delicate to verbalize. They all sit in silence and, in depicting that silence, Ile makes every emotion felt without describing one.
And then the tension wavers and releases. We go back in time, learning about the wealthy Utu family and their community. Ma is well-educated, ambitious, fiercely loving and strict. The father is equally intelligent, a respected and moralistic local judge. There is Bibi, the ferocious and adorable little sister; Ajie, our often-narrator so overshadowed by his brother; Paul, a lead student and named after the apostle.
I was touched by the flashbacks of Bibi, Ajie, and Paul as children because it brought back my own past – I had forgotten how intense every small interaction seems to a child, and how quickly playdates devolve into fisticuffs and screaming.
Ajie’s days are full of swimming in the local swamp and mirroring his brother, but as he grows up his community changes: The government decides to put oil pipes down in their village. Here Ile links environmental ruin with a community’s unraveling. To the corrupt government, neither land nor the citizens on the land may be permitted to block the path to profit. The old ways of communal values and collective discourse turn into government-fueled anarchy and carnal.
There is the old, there is the new. Both cannot survive.
Draw yourself a straight line, walk backward on it to erase your footsteps, and you will trip and crack your skull. Straddle the two sides of a stream and you will unhinge your hips. Be unstable as water and you will not excel.
Ile deals with violence frankly and honestly but gently. Rather than saying that women are raped, for example, he says they are “taken by force.” This does not distort the meaning; it does not soften the blow. But it refuses to dramatize or tantalize. When students are beaten by the police, Ile says so. He focuses not on the blood and gore but on the pain of it, the pain of beaten bones and heartbroken parents. He never cheaply titillates the reader. The story is rich for it.
So what exactly happens to Paul? If you read the book, you will find out. Ile gives closure. While reading I was afraid the book would have an ambivalent ending: Oo0o0o0oh, this is literary fiction, so you don’t get a spelled-out ending. Ile tries no such trick; he treats the Utu family and the reader with respect. The words resonate. (SPOILER AHEAD SPOILER AHEAD SPOILER AHEAD) Ile offers us one of the best funeral scenes I’ve read, the prose simultaneously as understated and full of feeling as it was on page 6.
The dead will not be consoled; neither will those who live in the skin of their dead.
And After Many Days explores how years of love, education, and bonding cannot undo the consequences of a split-second act of violence. Years of life cannot cancel out death.
Several minutes after finishing this book, I went on Goodreads and rated it. I turned on my phone and received a message. A friend of many years – in his twenties – died a few hours ago. His memorial service is on Sunday.
I don’t like books with clunky first sentences. I don’t like contemporary realistic books about disappearances and grieving families. Because of this, I don’t know why I picked up And After Many Days.
But by page 6 I knew I was in it until the end.
Yes: Paul, the oldest and most-beloved of three siblings, leaves his Nigerian home one day and doesn’t come back. Cue the sobbing; cue the screaming; cue the hyperbolic prose in face of a heart-slashing tragedy.
Or let’s try this:
“[The Utu family] sat in the parlor until long after midnight. Twice the lights went out, but no one moved[.] … The silence was so sudden and pure, it seemed as if the clock on the parlor wall had come to life, the slender second hand scraping its halting way around like a cripple.”
When I read this whole paragraph – several sentences longer than the excerpt above – my throat tightened and my stomach flipped. Jowhor Ile never writes ‘grief,’ ‘sadness,’ or ‘worry.’ He doesn’t depict the individual reactions of mother, father, sister, brother. They’re a family waiting up for the son who should have come home hours ago; their hope and fear is too intermingled and too delicate to verbalize. They all sit in silence and, in depicting that silence, Ile makes every emotion felt without describing one.
And then the tension wavers and releases. We go back in time, learning about the wealthy Utu family and their community. Ma is well-educated, ambitious, fiercely loving and strict. The father is equally intelligent, a respected and moralistic local judge. There is Bibi, the ferocious and adorable little sister; Ajie, our often-narrator so overshadowed by his brother; Paul, a lead student and named after the apostle.
I was touched by the flashbacks of Bibi, Ajie, and Paul as children because it brought back my own past – I had forgotten how intense every small interaction seems to a child, and how quickly playdates devolve into fisticuffs and screaming.
Ajie’s days are full of swimming in the local swamp and mirroring his brother, but as he grows up his community changes: The government decides to put oil pipes down in their village. Here Ile links environmental ruin with a community’s unraveling. To the corrupt government, neither land nor the citizens on the land may be permitted to block the path to profit. The old ways of communal values and collective discourse turn into government-fueled anarchy and carnal.
There is the old, there is the new. Both cannot survive.
Draw yourself a straight line, walk backward on it to erase your footsteps, and you will trip and crack your skull. Straddle the two sides of a stream and you will unhinge your hips. Be unstable as water and you will not excel.
Ile deals with violence frankly and honestly but gently. Rather than saying that women are raped, for example, he says they are “taken by force.” This does not distort the meaning; it does not soften the blow. But it refuses to dramatize or tantalize. When students are beaten by the police, Ile says so. He focuses not on the blood and gore but on the pain of it, the pain of beaten bones and heartbroken parents. He never cheaply titillates the reader. The story is rich for it.
So what exactly happens to Paul? If you read the book, you will find out. Ile gives closure. While reading I was afraid the book would have an ambivalent ending: Oo0o0o0oh, this is literary fiction, so you don’t get a spelled-out ending. Ile tries no such trick; he treats the Utu family and the reader with respect. The words resonate. (SPOILER AHEAD SPOILER AHEAD SPOILER AHEAD) Ile offers us one of the best funeral scenes I’ve read, the prose simultaneously as understated and full of feeling as it was on page 6.
The dead will not be consoled; neither will those who live in the skin of their dead.
And After Many Days explores how years of love, education, and bonding cannot undo the consequences of a split-second act of violence. Years of life cannot cancel out death.
Several minutes after finishing this book, I went on Goodreads and rated it. I turned on my phone and received a message. A friend of many years – in his twenties – died a few hours ago. His memorial service is on Sunday.
February 13, 2025
i really really loved this. I have never read a book that so well captures the relationship of siblings. i also loved learning about Nigeria, a country I know little to nothing about it.
4.5 stars bc it was a little hard to follow the timing and although Ajie’s relationship to Paul and Bibi were really well described, i didn’t get a rock solid sense of Ajie himself.
“And where is Paul when Ajie is in need of certainty?” 💔
4.5 stars bc it was a little hard to follow the timing and although Ajie’s relationship to Paul and Bibi were really well described, i didn’t get a rock solid sense of Ajie himself.
“And where is Paul when Ajie is in need of certainty?” 💔
September 17, 2020
I started this novel because of sentimentality... It's set in my (Nigerian) happy place.
But I came to appreciate the characterisation, the plot itself and how the story tugs at a reader's heartstrings 🥰
Spoiler alert: You will ugly-cry 🥺🥺🥺
But I came to appreciate the characterisation, the plot itself and how the story tugs at a reader's heartstrings 🥰
Spoiler alert: You will ugly-cry 🥺🥺🥺
May 3, 2016
This is a very good draft, but shouldn't have been published in this state. There are some glaring problems and technical peculiarities that a published novel shouldn't have.
The novel started with the disappearance of a boy called Paul and didn't go back to the present until the very end, cluttering the whole book with an immense flashback, a decision I found it very hard to justify. Apart from the last twenty pages or so, there was absolutely no forward motion in the book, which put the whole narrative into sleep. So stagnant the whole state of affairs that I just couldn't invest in or be bothered with any of the stories that were mentioned in the flashback because I had been stuck at the beginning, at the boy. It looks like the author devised the boy and his disappearance so that they would serve as red herrings, but I took them as baits which served only as a wedge to stagnate the plot. I constantly questioned the wisdom of using flashbacks instead of just telling the story in the past tense.
One other problem I had with the text is its point of view. It is written in the third person, but there are also enough pointers that the story is filtered through Ajie's eyes--Paul's little brother. Therefore, the point of view becomes a close third now and then, and I think that's where the problems start. Committing to a POV is a huge decision, perhaps one of the most important decisions to be made in writing a story, therefore it needs to be done carefully. In this case, Ajie's close third doesn't produce an authentic voice, which I expect from a kid's eyes. In fact, the languages becomes very jarring when we read the sections from this close third person. It gets incongruous with the kid's vocabulary and perception level. For instance, on page 63:
"From this single episode, Ajie decided, you could read the prognosis of their family's downfall. He would trace lines, join them in his moments of confusion, and arrive at solid conclusions [...] Draw yourself a straight line, walk backward on it to erase your footsteps, and you will trip and crack your skull. Straddle the two sides of a stream and you will unhinge your hips. Be unstable as water and you will not excel."
These are some compelling and elaborate thinking that I shouldn't expect a kid would have in his mind. It's too articulate and clearly coming from the author himself.
I believe this book is an unfortunate failure because it could have been way better. The failure, however, belongs to the author as much as it belongs to the editor. They shouldn't have allowed this book to be published in this state.
The novel started with the disappearance of a boy called Paul and didn't go back to the present until the very end, cluttering the whole book with an immense flashback, a decision I found it very hard to justify. Apart from the last twenty pages or so, there was absolutely no forward motion in the book, which put the whole narrative into sleep. So stagnant the whole state of affairs that I just couldn't invest in or be bothered with any of the stories that were mentioned in the flashback because I had been stuck at the beginning, at the boy. It looks like the author devised the boy and his disappearance so that they would serve as red herrings, but I took them as baits which served only as a wedge to stagnate the plot. I constantly questioned the wisdom of using flashbacks instead of just telling the story in the past tense.
One other problem I had with the text is its point of view. It is written in the third person, but there are also enough pointers that the story is filtered through Ajie's eyes--Paul's little brother. Therefore, the point of view becomes a close third now and then, and I think that's where the problems start. Committing to a POV is a huge decision, perhaps one of the most important decisions to be made in writing a story, therefore it needs to be done carefully. In this case, Ajie's close third doesn't produce an authentic voice, which I expect from a kid's eyes. In fact, the languages becomes very jarring when we read the sections from this close third person. It gets incongruous with the kid's vocabulary and perception level. For instance, on page 63:
"From this single episode, Ajie decided, you could read the prognosis of their family's downfall. He would trace lines, join them in his moments of confusion, and arrive at solid conclusions [...] Draw yourself a straight line, walk backward on it to erase your footsteps, and you will trip and crack your skull. Straddle the two sides of a stream and you will unhinge your hips. Be unstable as water and you will not excel."
These are some compelling and elaborate thinking that I shouldn't expect a kid would have in his mind. It's too articulate and clearly coming from the author himself.
I believe this book is an unfortunate failure because it could have been way better. The failure, however, belongs to the author as much as it belongs to the editor. They shouldn't have allowed this book to be published in this state.
January 22, 2016
Thanks to Librarything and Penguin Random House for this ARC.
Ostensibly, And After Many Days is about the disappearance of a families eldest son, Paul, during a time of political and social unrest in Nigeria. Jowhor Ile uses a mostly nonlinear pattern to explain this event while simultaneously helping the reader to understand Paul and the rest of his family, the Utus. The meat of the novel is not in Paul’s disappearance or in the the outcome of their search for him; the outcome is not really even a big surprise. The real story is in the interactions between the family members and their surrounding community – a culture that may be somewhat unfamiliar to urban America.
History, family, and duality are the strongest themes present in the novel. In the first chapter, after Paul’s disappearance, “[l]ike the pendulum on their parlor wall, they swung to either end, dread and hope, but generally stayed in the balance….” We mostly get to see things from Paul’s younger brother, Ajie, who seems to struggle the most with this balance of dual natures: past and present, faith and hopelessness, family and independence, identity and community. Ajie, reflecting on his mother’s bible study on Abraham and Isaac, wonders if his father, Bendic, would love him enough to offer him as a sacrifice to God; he questions his mother could believe the earth could be billions of years old while holding to the truth of the biblical account of a seven day creation; he questions a relative who would rather him use the proper title of ‘Father’ instead of the more personal and endearing ‘Bendic’ (a shortened form of Benedict). Several mentions of a corrupt government and ‘The Company’, a stand-in for powerful multi-national corporations, also demonstrate the duality of West African culture when placed against the backdrop of small communities that solve problems with town councils.
In reading And After Many Days, I was reminded of Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You. Both novels begin with a heartbreaking event: one a death; one a disappearance; both novels then go backwards in time to provide the reader with a full picture of the event and its context; both novels are well-written and emotional. However, I felt like Ile did a better job with providing a better cultural context for his story. And After Many Days did what I most love to see in a novel: weave together the personal with the socio-cultural or socio-political. Maybe this was easier (or more interesting) considering enduring consequences of colonialism on African nations.
Ostensibly, And After Many Days is about the disappearance of a families eldest son, Paul, during a time of political and social unrest in Nigeria. Jowhor Ile uses a mostly nonlinear pattern to explain this event while simultaneously helping the reader to understand Paul and the rest of his family, the Utus. The meat of the novel is not in Paul’s disappearance or in the the outcome of their search for him; the outcome is not really even a big surprise. The real story is in the interactions between the family members and their surrounding community – a culture that may be somewhat unfamiliar to urban America.
History, family, and duality are the strongest themes present in the novel. In the first chapter, after Paul’s disappearance, “[l]ike the pendulum on their parlor wall, they swung to either end, dread and hope, but generally stayed in the balance….” We mostly get to see things from Paul’s younger brother, Ajie, who seems to struggle the most with this balance of dual natures: past and present, faith and hopelessness, family and independence, identity and community. Ajie, reflecting on his mother’s bible study on Abraham and Isaac, wonders if his father, Bendic, would love him enough to offer him as a sacrifice to God; he questions his mother could believe the earth could be billions of years old while holding to the truth of the biblical account of a seven day creation; he questions a relative who would rather him use the proper title of ‘Father’ instead of the more personal and endearing ‘Bendic’ (a shortened form of Benedict). Several mentions of a corrupt government and ‘The Company’, a stand-in for powerful multi-national corporations, also demonstrate the duality of West African culture when placed against the backdrop of small communities that solve problems with town councils.
In reading And After Many Days, I was reminded of Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You. Both novels begin with a heartbreaking event: one a death; one a disappearance; both novels then go backwards in time to provide the reader with a full picture of the event and its context; both novels are well-written and emotional. However, I felt like Ile did a better job with providing a better cultural context for his story. And After Many Days did what I most love to see in a novel: weave together the personal with the socio-cultural or socio-political. Maybe this was easier (or more interesting) considering enduring consequences of colonialism on African nations.
February 4, 2016
And After Many Days begins with the disappearance of Paul Utu and centers around his family's quest to find him. Jowhor Ile uses this as a backdrop to paint a picture of life in Nigeria across cultures and across the urban and rural divide.
One of the major aspects explored in this novel is the nature of Nigeria. Ile gives it a very dualist nature. The Utu family is both urban and rural having homes in both settings. The father, Bendic, has spent time as a Christian, but traditional religious beliefs are still important to him. He has children with names from both traditions. This dualism is in stark contrast to the divisiveness between the students and the government and the history of warfare within the country.
The structure of this novel is interesting in that I think that it is more than just a structure that enables Ile to tell the story. The novel starts with the disappearance of Paul, which is really the climax of the story arc. Then, the book goes through years of backstory before finally returning to Paul's disappearance late in the book. With the amount of historical detail given in the book, I was left wondering if Ile's point was that nothing really changes in Nigeria. The country always comes full circle to its unresolved issues.
One thing that isn't too surprising is that large parts of the book center on the relationship between oil companies and the Nigerian government. Ile highlights the exploitive nature of this relationship towards the villagers in rural Nigeria, and he does so in an even-handed way that also shows the benefits that the rural Nigerians receive. This is not unsurprising in post-colonial literature, but I thought that it was done well in this novel.
My favorite part of this novel was its rich characters. I fell in love with the whole family, and their friends. Each character is well-developed in that they are each unique individuals who grow and change over the course of the story. They were believable enough that I cared what happened to them, which is where books sometimes fail for me. I am happy for that.
Overall, I thought this was a good novel. I was not blown away by it, but it was an enjoyable read that made me think at times. It was a lot like a lot of other post-colonial type novels, but the characters made it worth reading.
One of the major aspects explored in this novel is the nature of Nigeria. Ile gives it a very dualist nature. The Utu family is both urban and rural having homes in both settings. The father, Bendic, has spent time as a Christian, but traditional religious beliefs are still important to him. He has children with names from both traditions. This dualism is in stark contrast to the divisiveness between the students and the government and the history of warfare within the country.
The structure of this novel is interesting in that I think that it is more than just a structure that enables Ile to tell the story. The novel starts with the disappearance of Paul, which is really the climax of the story arc. Then, the book goes through years of backstory before finally returning to Paul's disappearance late in the book. With the amount of historical detail given in the book, I was left wondering if Ile's point was that nothing really changes in Nigeria. The country always comes full circle to its unresolved issues.
One thing that isn't too surprising is that large parts of the book center on the relationship between oil companies and the Nigerian government. Ile highlights the exploitive nature of this relationship towards the villagers in rural Nigeria, and he does so in an even-handed way that also shows the benefits that the rural Nigerians receive. This is not unsurprising in post-colonial literature, but I thought that it was done well in this novel.
My favorite part of this novel was its rich characters. I fell in love with the whole family, and their friends. Each character is well-developed in that they are each unique individuals who grow and change over the course of the story. They were believable enough that I cared what happened to them, which is where books sometimes fail for me. I am happy for that.
Overall, I thought this was a good novel. I was not blown away by it, but it was an enjoyable read that made me think at times. It was a lot like a lot of other post-colonial type novels, but the characters made it worth reading.
Read
December 25, 2015Won this in Goodreads Giveaway/Read an uncorrected proof.
Ma and Bendic are white collar workers who live in Port Harcourt. On long vacations, they take their three children, Paul, Bibi, and Ajie to their hometown in Ogibah. The story starts at the disappearance of their oldest child, Paul, then quickly moves back in time to give you a history of the family and of Ogibah, a resource-rich place increasingly taken advantage of by exploitative companies. Ile does this scene by scene with some very descriptive prose. It didn't feel very plot driven but the moments captured in each scene were enough to keep me reading. Just past halfway through, I started to put the pieces together and felt like I was moving toward something.
By the end I came to see this book as a love story. And I feel like this is our thing -- writing love stories set against the backdrop of political turmoil. In this book there is a microstory, in which Bendic is detained during the Biafran war. This is shortly after he and Ma are married. When she hears of his arrest, she rides her bicycle from town to town, following rumors of where he's been taken. It's that type of work that engages history on an emotional level -- these horrible things happened and this is how we lived through it.
But this is not a story about romantic love, it's mostly about love within a family. With the political nature of the book and Ile's ability to capture these moments of childhood and siblinghood, it recalls Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things. (I kind of wish this novel also came without the burden of a back cover synopsis and I wonder at what point was the book restructured to begin with Paul's disappearance). In any case, it's a great story.
Ma and Bendic are white collar workers who live in Port Harcourt. On long vacations, they take their three children, Paul, Bibi, and Ajie to their hometown in Ogibah. The story starts at the disappearance of their oldest child, Paul, then quickly moves back in time to give you a history of the family and of Ogibah, a resource-rich place increasingly taken advantage of by exploitative companies. Ile does this scene by scene with some very descriptive prose. It didn't feel very plot driven but the moments captured in each scene were enough to keep me reading. Just past halfway through, I started to put the pieces together and felt like I was moving toward something.
By the end I came to see this book as a love story. And I feel like this is our thing -- writing love stories set against the backdrop of political turmoil. In this book there is a microstory, in which Bendic is detained during the Biafran war. This is shortly after he and Ma are married. When she hears of his arrest, she rides her bicycle from town to town, following rumors of where he's been taken. It's that type of work that engages history on an emotional level -- these horrible things happened and this is how we lived through it.
But this is not a story about romantic love, it's mostly about love within a family. With the political nature of the book and Ile's ability to capture these moments of childhood and siblinghood, it recalls Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things. (I kind of wish this novel also came without the burden of a back cover synopsis and I wonder at what point was the book restructured to begin with Paul's disappearance). In any case, it's a great story.
February 16, 2016
Closer to a 3.75 star rating. I really liked the book's construction and how the reader kept getting bits and pieces of how the Utu family is connected or not connected to the political upheaval in Nigeria in the 1990s and whether Paul's disappearance is connected to those events. I wished, though, that Ile also included one or two chapters set between Ajie being brought home from school by his mother and the final epilogue-like three sections. I would have liked to see how Ajie and Bibi were impacted by the loss of their older brother as they finished school and went to college rather than see an end product at the end of the book.
As I was reading, I was reminded of Stewart O'Nan's Songs for the Missing in subject. The settings are quite different, obviously, but the way the "missing" child is presented within the family's life and how the families are both disrupted was similar.
As I was reading, I was reminded of Stewart O'Nan's Songs for the Missing in subject. The settings are quite different, obviously, but the way the "missing" child is presented within the family's life and how the families are both disrupted was similar.
February 19, 2017
What a stunning piece of work. It is not often that a fictional family breaks open your heart and awakens so much nostalgia. This book is an impressive debut. Lyrical, masterful and oh, so tender.
April 11, 2016
*3.5 stars*
Originally posted here.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Goodread - First Reads, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
And After Many Days is about how the disappearance of a young man, Paul, changes one family’s way of life completely. Not only the family, but the community itself. I was caught up in Ajie’s narrative of the past and present. His guilt was pretty heavy, and I felt so sad about his need to blame himself; as he was the last to see Paul before he disappeared. This book is not only about this one family, but the whole Nigerian country. I’m not familiar with a lot of African history, so I love reading these stories, as they all paint vivid and painful scenes of the political warfare that has torn the country apart through the years. And as oil is such a hot commodity, it sits at the head of the table. Protests – both peaceful and violent, are as common as a national holiday here in the United States. Student riots were not uncommon either. So, the big question is, where is paul?. Ajie recounts their childhood -his, Paul, and their sister Bibi – as well as their respect for their parents Bendic and Ma.
With all the good writing of this story aside, it was very hard to discern between past and present. I would find myself rereading a lot of passages because I couldn’t quite keep up. Very confusing, at times. I don’t like to be confused when reading, as it takes away some of the joy of the process. That being said, I would have loved for this to be narrated differently. But, I am not a writer, so therefore I won’t complain too much. I’m sure there are plenty who will understand this just fine without having to stop and take different approaches. Overall, I enjoyed this book and the honest picture it painted. It all seemed like the family story took a back seat to the political parts. Then again, that may be what growing up in Nigeria is like, and why the author chose to present the story this way. If you enjoy African Literature, you should definitely add this book to your list.
Originally posted here.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Goodread - First Reads, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
And After Many Days is about how the disappearance of a young man, Paul, changes one family’s way of life completely. Not only the family, but the community itself. I was caught up in Ajie’s narrative of the past and present. His guilt was pretty heavy, and I felt so sad about his need to blame himself; as he was the last to see Paul before he disappeared. This book is not only about this one family, but the whole Nigerian country. I’m not familiar with a lot of African history, so I love reading these stories, as they all paint vivid and painful scenes of the political warfare that has torn the country apart through the years. And as oil is such a hot commodity, it sits at the head of the table. Protests – both peaceful and violent, are as common as a national holiday here in the United States. Student riots were not uncommon either. So, the big question is, where is paul?. Ajie recounts their childhood -his, Paul, and their sister Bibi – as well as their respect for their parents Bendic and Ma.
With all the good writing of this story aside, it was very hard to discern between past and present. I would find myself rereading a lot of passages because I couldn’t quite keep up. Very confusing, at times. I don’t like to be confused when reading, as it takes away some of the joy of the process. That being said, I would have loved for this to be narrated differently. But, I am not a writer, so therefore I won’t complain too much. I’m sure there are plenty who will understand this just fine without having to stop and take different approaches. Overall, I enjoyed this book and the honest picture it painted. It all seemed like the family story took a back seat to the political parts. Then again, that may be what growing up in Nigeria is like, and why the author chose to present the story this way. If you enjoy African Literature, you should definitely add this book to your list.
February 2, 2016
This book was sent to me to review from a pool of books to be reviewed pre-release. I must say, I was not completely impressed. While the author did a wonderful job showing the effects of political greed and unrest, how it can effect not just one generation but those after it, it didn't seem well-woven into the story as a whole. In the beginning, I was captured. Reading how the family moved and functioned in the first few days of his disappearance was intriguing. I wanted to find out what happened to Paul; why he disappeared , who was behind it, etc. However, when Ajie begins to have these "flashbacks" of the years before Paul disappears, Paul's actual disappearance sort of fades into the background while the family's history becomes the foreground.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad each of the family member's characters and personalities are further developed and I loved getting to know them better. Bibi is a feisty, no nonsense type of girl but we see she has her softer spots as well; Ajie questions almost everything and has a knack for getting in trouble but looks to Paul most often; and Paul seems to be the balance between the two, being calm and levelheaded about things he often plays the mediator when Bibi and Ajie have their altercations.
I enjoyed reading about Ma and Bendic; being shown how strong Ma's love is for Bendic in her plight to locate him when he'd gone missing. We're also introduced to some other family members and various associates and acquaintances to the Utu family but again, in all of this, Paul's actual disappearance becomes somewhat obscure. It's not really picked back up until the end of the book and at that point, things seem to be rushed and in that rush we find out Ajie's father died, though we don't know when or how and things go from almost day by day to skipping a few years in between.
All in all it was a decent book but I believe it could have been better. The author has a knack for developing characters and building the landscape of daily lives in the towns and villages as well as setting up the story but blending them into a whole wasn't what I believe it could have been.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad each of the family member's characters and personalities are further developed and I loved getting to know them better. Bibi is a feisty, no nonsense type of girl but we see she has her softer spots as well; Ajie questions almost everything and has a knack for getting in trouble but looks to Paul most often; and Paul seems to be the balance between the two, being calm and levelheaded about things he often plays the mediator when Bibi and Ajie have their altercations.
I enjoyed reading about Ma and Bendic; being shown how strong Ma's love is for Bendic in her plight to locate him when he'd gone missing. We're also introduced to some other family members and various associates and acquaintances to the Utu family but again, in all of this, Paul's actual disappearance becomes somewhat obscure. It's not really picked back up until the end of the book and at that point, things seem to be rushed and in that rush we find out Ajie's father died, though we don't know when or how and things go from almost day by day to skipping a few years in between.
All in all it was a decent book but I believe it could have been better. The author has a knack for developing characters and building the landscape of daily lives in the towns and villages as well as setting up the story but blending them into a whole wasn't what I believe it could have been.
January 17, 2016
Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 1995. A place where people disappear and bad things are always about to happen. Paul Utu, a 17 year old boy goes missing and Ajie his youngest brother is saddled with seeing him last.
The Utu family is one of dignity, achievement and balance. The challenge of assimilating social, economic, political and technological change is handled with honesty and respect by Jowhor Ile. Ile’s characters are strong, complex and so much can be learned from them during biblical discussion, social exchange or the pronounced expressions of a political points of view.
Told in third person, often through Ajie’s memory we learn about Paul, the quiet lion, first son and eldest sibling. Paul is a symbol for any young man, walking the right line, doing the right things to lead a correct life only to disappear without a trace or explanation. Foreshadowing is used to develop suspicion as to Paul’s whereabouts and the moment of discovery is quietly surprising.
Themes of human greed for power and excess and its impact on the natural world are burned into the story framework. Ma, the mother of Paul and Ajie, writes a book, “Ferns and Fauna of the Orashi Plain.” In it she catalogs and describes every living thing in their changing landscape being plagued by dried up swamps and fuel pipelines. She notes, “--one day all these things will be extinct, but at least we will know what they were--” The thing she forgets to note is us because we are a part of nature too.
“And After Many Days” leaves us thinking which is one of the most powerful things an author can encourage us to do.
The Utu family is one of dignity, achievement and balance. The challenge of assimilating social, economic, political and technological change is handled with honesty and respect by Jowhor Ile. Ile’s characters are strong, complex and so much can be learned from them during biblical discussion, social exchange or the pronounced expressions of a political points of view.
Told in third person, often through Ajie’s memory we learn about Paul, the quiet lion, first son and eldest sibling. Paul is a symbol for any young man, walking the right line, doing the right things to lead a correct life only to disappear without a trace or explanation. Foreshadowing is used to develop suspicion as to Paul’s whereabouts and the moment of discovery is quietly surprising.
Themes of human greed for power and excess and its impact on the natural world are burned into the story framework. Ma, the mother of Paul and Ajie, writes a book, “Ferns and Fauna of the Orashi Plain.” In it she catalogs and describes every living thing in their changing landscape being plagued by dried up swamps and fuel pipelines. She notes, “--one day all these things will be extinct, but at least we will know what they were--” The thing she forgets to note is us because we are a part of nature too.
“And After Many Days” leaves us thinking which is one of the most powerful things an author can encourage us to do.
February 8, 2016
"And After Many Days" was such a great read, I really enjoyed every page of this book. I was able to get my hands on an advanced copy and since then, I've sailed through the reading! Lately, I have been very interested in African literature and I've read a few novels written by amazing African authors, and this novel has made my all time favorite list! Jowhor Ile does a great job is leading the reader through the trials and tribulations of the characters, and he gives such a convincing depiction of a child's point of view. I really enjoyed how Ajie (the main character and brother of the missing Paul) had trouble controlling his passions and was left with the oppressing guilt of seeing Paul last before his disappearance. Its a real story that paints a realistic portrait of family and every day childhood.
Near the end of the book I found myself wanting more of the story! Even though the plot does wrap up very nicely and each character goes off and lives their lives, I wanted more detail of how they grew up and what type of adult those children eventually became. I suppose I just grew too attached to them! Either way, "And After Many Days" was a fantastic story that touched on real life within an African community and it taught the importance of tradition, responsibility and family love. I'll be reading this again!
Near the end of the book I found myself wanting more of the story! Even though the plot does wrap up very nicely and each character goes off and lives their lives, I wanted more detail of how they grew up and what type of adult those children eventually became. I suppose I just grew too attached to them! Either way, "And After Many Days" was a fantastic story that touched on real life within an African community and it taught the importance of tradition, responsibility and family love. I'll be reading this again!
January 31, 2016
This novel has the feel of a scrapbook, a story assembled from snapshots. The timeline is jagged, uneven, sometimes disorienting. It's hard to tell what's important and what isn't. In fact, the story that frames the novel, the disappearance of Paul, is almost a superfluous detail in the plot. The role it plays is that it made me read the history of the family and the crisis in the country looking for something. Looking for a reason, looking for an answer. I have a feeling other readers will look for that, too. But there are precious few answers, just as in a scrapbook. That may disappoint some readers, but it makes the storyline feel very real. It was emotionally confusing, mirroring the bewildering developments in Nigeria at the time. It all worked. But very few people want to subject themselves to that kind of confusion. So even though I really liked this book for many reasons, I understand that others may have reacted negatively.
I got a free copy of this from the First to Read program.
I got a free copy of this from the First to Read program.
July 30, 2016
And After Many Days shares the story of a Nigerian family in anguish after the disappearance of their elder son, Paul. Initially, they had hope, assuming they will find him in few days especially after alerting the police and news media. But days go by, months and even years yet there was no trace of him. To help the reader in understanding the circumstances that led to his disappearance, the narrator takes us back to the family's past.
Read more here:⬇️
https://lindasyearlybookchallenge.wor...
Read more here:⬇️
https://lindasyearlybookchallenge.wor...
December 4, 2016
Ile's novel is a different, multi-dimensional telling of the story of the people of southern Nigeria. Here, they are not just victims of a corrupt government and oil companies, but also victims of their own greed and their inhumanity to each other.
What I most enjoyed about this book is the originality. I love that history and the culture of the people are a prominent part of the story; it's beautiful.
A very enjoyable read.
What I most enjoyed about this book is the originality. I love that history and the culture of the people are a prominent part of the story; it's beautiful.
A very enjoyable read.
May 18, 2016
This was really beautifully written. I know I've been saying that about a lot of books lately, but its so true-I've been lucky in that regard. Its definitely heartbreaking at times, as this family deals with loss and chaos and upheaval, but there's some really lovely quiet moments between family members as well. This is also amazing on audio. So there's that.
January 27, 2016
When the novel begins, the reader is placed in the year 1995, in Port Harcourt, a city named for a man who never even lived there. It is a major port and the capital city of Rivers State, Nigeria. Port Harcourt is going through the throes of various forms of civil activism aimed at bringing the needs of the people to the attention of the government and the “Company”, (an oil investor interested in the oil discovered in Port Harcourt), both of which dominate their lives, destroy their landscape and share the accumulated wealth only with a chosen few hired citizens whose aim is to convince the residents to go along with their demands, neglecting the needs of the majority.
Greed and power dominate the atmosphere in the outside world in contrast with the loving, warm relationship that exists inside the Utu household, where this family of five, father Bendic, Ma, Paul, Ajie and Bibi, live happily. The children have been raised with the good values of their educated parents, and consequently, there is a stress on proper behavior and schooling. Because of the civil disobedience and brutality of the government and Company, and the better opportunity for a safer and possibly better education abroad, the children are sent away to schools in other countries or other communities inside Nigeria.
While the people of the city struggle to survive in a country that is not universally technologically advanced in either its thriving industry or infrastructure, the government, the military and the police are often ruthless in their brutal enforcement of their rules and demands. While the people protest peacefully to promote more change and a more democratic environment, those in power prevent them, pushing back with their greater strength. People are arrested without cause and imprisoned without proper protocols. There are a lot of disgruntled people, and it is apparent with their display of civil disobedience and protests, but it is also apparent that they are David and Goliath, and Goliath, in this story, is winning the battle.
Paul Utu is the eldest son about to go abroad for his University education. The current University students are staging a protest in town, and he feels restless and leaves the house with his backpack to visit his friend Fola. He is expected to return in a few hours, but he never does. For the next decade, the family wonders what has happened to him, and the trauma of that day he went missing is never far from their minds. All of their lives have been impacted in individual ways. The mystery and loss profoundly affects not only the Utus, but also their friends and family. The household, once the hub of conversations and advice, becomes one to be avoided. Some friends slowly drift away from them, unable to bear or share the burden of their pain and loss, some fearing the contagion of such a disaster upon their own families.
The story moves back and forth in time, as life's memories often do, highlighting the family life of the Utus. Ajie tells the story from his youthful memories and point of view. Through his eyes we learn about their culture and their way of life. The reactions of the characters to the news of Paul’s disappearance, is subdued at first, with disbelief more than fear. Soon, however, when he doesn’t return, the reality of their loss sets in, and there is deep grief and psychological pain. It was sometimes difficult to figure out which moment in time is being described, but regardless of the particular time frame, past or present, the novel illustrated the lives of the Utu family as they experienced the effects of Paul’s disappearance, the changing political scenes, the student uprisings, the different ruling parties and regimes, the civil strife, the business interests at odds with their own, and other various traumatic events that shaped their lives.
The author places the reader in the thick of things in Nigeria, but does not paint a pretty picture. The government seems corrupt and brutal in its methods. The Company ignores the concerns of the residents of the community that they were slowly destroying, often choosing one or another of them to bestow favors upon so they would coerce the others to go along with their methods, pitting neighbor against neighbor. There was smoldering resentment and bickering among the friends and neighbors and retaliatory, brutal methods were often used when they failed to agree and go along with the prevailing powers that be. The setting and the dialogue seem authentic, and one can hear their conversations in the different dialects as if they were just now taking place. The phrasing, vocabulary and juxtaposition of the words makes the conversations seem more realistic.
The book does not move quickly, and one must be patient reading it to appreciate it. Sometimes the details seem to overburden the page, but they enhance the picture of Port Harcourt with the civil disobedience and the brutality of the police and military in power. The information presented about Nigerian life and the dynamic of a family that must cope with every parent’s nightmare, makes it a worthwhile read. It inspired me to do further research on the area and the city.
I was not drawn into the book as a captive, but rather by the mystery of Paul Utu’s disappearance which ceased to be the focus of the story after its introduction, yet remained the catalyst for everything else that happened in the Utu family afterward. Instead of being about the unsolved mystery of the disappearance of their son, it was about their family life, the politics surrounding them, their disappointment with the government, and the oil industry’s impact on their way of life and culture. At times, I was overwhelmed with tedious details, but it was, nevertheless, interesting, because without including them, the picture of Port Harcourt would have been incomplete. Shopping excursions exposed the third world nature of the infrastructure of the country and the lack of modern day advanced equipment, and, in some cases, technology. The interaction of the characters showed the nature of the tribal aspect of the community, which had so many diverse groups. Their different cultures were often at odds with each other. Even ten years later, when the mystery was solved, the country did not seem to have advanced that far when compared to the modern world.
The foreign worlds made it difficult to follow in some places, and I was forced to do research on Port Harcourt and its lifestyle and industry, which wasn’t a bad thing, at all, and which was a redeeming feature of the book; it encouraged a greater understanding of the country and its people. The book I read was an advanced copy. Perhaps in the final version there is a glossary.
Greed and power dominate the atmosphere in the outside world in contrast with the loving, warm relationship that exists inside the Utu household, where this family of five, father Bendic, Ma, Paul, Ajie and Bibi, live happily. The children have been raised with the good values of their educated parents, and consequently, there is a stress on proper behavior and schooling. Because of the civil disobedience and brutality of the government and Company, and the better opportunity for a safer and possibly better education abroad, the children are sent away to schools in other countries or other communities inside Nigeria.
While the people of the city struggle to survive in a country that is not universally technologically advanced in either its thriving industry or infrastructure, the government, the military and the police are often ruthless in their brutal enforcement of their rules and demands. While the people protest peacefully to promote more change and a more democratic environment, those in power prevent them, pushing back with their greater strength. People are arrested without cause and imprisoned without proper protocols. There are a lot of disgruntled people, and it is apparent with their display of civil disobedience and protests, but it is also apparent that they are David and Goliath, and Goliath, in this story, is winning the battle.
Paul Utu is the eldest son about to go abroad for his University education. The current University students are staging a protest in town, and he feels restless and leaves the house with his backpack to visit his friend Fola. He is expected to return in a few hours, but he never does. For the next decade, the family wonders what has happened to him, and the trauma of that day he went missing is never far from their minds. All of their lives have been impacted in individual ways. The mystery and loss profoundly affects not only the Utus, but also their friends and family. The household, once the hub of conversations and advice, becomes one to be avoided. Some friends slowly drift away from them, unable to bear or share the burden of their pain and loss, some fearing the contagion of such a disaster upon their own families.
The story moves back and forth in time, as life's memories often do, highlighting the family life of the Utus. Ajie tells the story from his youthful memories and point of view. Through his eyes we learn about their culture and their way of life. The reactions of the characters to the news of Paul’s disappearance, is subdued at first, with disbelief more than fear. Soon, however, when he doesn’t return, the reality of their loss sets in, and there is deep grief and psychological pain. It was sometimes difficult to figure out which moment in time is being described, but regardless of the particular time frame, past or present, the novel illustrated the lives of the Utu family as they experienced the effects of Paul’s disappearance, the changing political scenes, the student uprisings, the different ruling parties and regimes, the civil strife, the business interests at odds with their own, and other various traumatic events that shaped their lives.
The author places the reader in the thick of things in Nigeria, but does not paint a pretty picture. The government seems corrupt and brutal in its methods. The Company ignores the concerns of the residents of the community that they were slowly destroying, often choosing one or another of them to bestow favors upon so they would coerce the others to go along with their methods, pitting neighbor against neighbor. There was smoldering resentment and bickering among the friends and neighbors and retaliatory, brutal methods were often used when they failed to agree and go along with the prevailing powers that be. The setting and the dialogue seem authentic, and one can hear their conversations in the different dialects as if they were just now taking place. The phrasing, vocabulary and juxtaposition of the words makes the conversations seem more realistic.
The book does not move quickly, and one must be patient reading it to appreciate it. Sometimes the details seem to overburden the page, but they enhance the picture of Port Harcourt with the civil disobedience and the brutality of the police and military in power. The information presented about Nigerian life and the dynamic of a family that must cope with every parent’s nightmare, makes it a worthwhile read. It inspired me to do further research on the area and the city.
I was not drawn into the book as a captive, but rather by the mystery of Paul Utu’s disappearance which ceased to be the focus of the story after its introduction, yet remained the catalyst for everything else that happened in the Utu family afterward. Instead of being about the unsolved mystery of the disappearance of their son, it was about their family life, the politics surrounding them, their disappointment with the government, and the oil industry’s impact on their way of life and culture. At times, I was overwhelmed with tedious details, but it was, nevertheless, interesting, because without including them, the picture of Port Harcourt would have been incomplete. Shopping excursions exposed the third world nature of the infrastructure of the country and the lack of modern day advanced equipment, and, in some cases, technology. The interaction of the characters showed the nature of the tribal aspect of the community, which had so many diverse groups. Their different cultures were often at odds with each other. Even ten years later, when the mystery was solved, the country did not seem to have advanced that far when compared to the modern world.
The foreign worlds made it difficult to follow in some places, and I was forced to do research on Port Harcourt and its lifestyle and industry, which wasn’t a bad thing, at all, and which was a redeeming feature of the book; it encouraged a greater understanding of the country and its people. The book I read was an advanced copy. Perhaps in the final version there is a glossary.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews