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When We Speak of Nothing
"Some of the women walked so slow they were, like, floating. For real. Heads perfectly straight. Hips swaying, left, slow, right, slow, step, slow. If you didn't concentrate you would think they weren't moving at all, their bodies just hanging in space..."
Best mates Karl and Abu are both 17 and live near Kings Cross. Its 2011 and racial tensions are set to explode across London. Abu is infatuated with gorgeous classmate Nalini but dares not speak to her. Meanwhile, Karl is the target of the local "wannabe" thugs just for being different.
When Karl finds out his father lives in Nigeria, he decides that Port Harcourt is the best place to escape the sound and fury of London, and connect with a Dad he's never known. Rejected on arrival, Karl befriends Nakale, an activist who wants to expose the ecocide in the Niger Delta to the world, and falls headlong for his feisty cousin Janoma. Meanwhile, the murder of Mark Duggan triggers a full-scale riot in London. Abu finds himself in its midst, leading to a near-tragedy that forces Karl to race back home.
When We Speak of Nothing launches a powerful new voice onto the literary stage.The fluid prose, peppered with contemporary slang, captures what it means to be young, black and queer in London. If grime music were a novel, it would be this.
Best mates Karl and Abu are both 17 and live near Kings Cross. Its 2011 and racial tensions are set to explode across London. Abu is infatuated with gorgeous classmate Nalini but dares not speak to her. Meanwhile, Karl is the target of the local "wannabe" thugs just for being different.
When Karl finds out his father lives in Nigeria, he decides that Port Harcourt is the best place to escape the sound and fury of London, and connect with a Dad he's never known. Rejected on arrival, Karl befriends Nakale, an activist who wants to expose the ecocide in the Niger Delta to the world, and falls headlong for his feisty cousin Janoma. Meanwhile, the murder of Mark Duggan triggers a full-scale riot in London. Abu finds himself in its midst, leading to a near-tragedy that forces Karl to race back home.
When We Speak of Nothing launches a powerful new voice onto the literary stage.The fluid prose, peppered with contemporary slang, captures what it means to be young, black and queer in London. If grime music were a novel, it would be this.
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2017
19 people are currently reading
1246 people want to read
About the author
Olumide Popoola
11 books50 followersLondon-based Nigerian-German Olumide Popoola is a writer, speaker and performer.
Her publications include essays, poetry, the novella this is not about sadness (Unrast, 2010), the play text Also by Mail (edition assemblage, 2013), the short collection breach, which she co-authored with Annie Holmes (Peirene Press, 2016), as well as recordings in collaboration with musicians.
In 2004 she won the May Ayim Award in the category Poetry, the first Black German Literary Award. Olumide has a PhD in Creative Writing and has lectured in creative writing at various universities.
Her novel When We Speak of Nothing was published by Cassava Republic Press in July 2017.
Her publications include essays, poetry, the novella this is not about sadness (Unrast, 2010), the play text Also by Mail (edition assemblage, 2013), the short collection breach, which she co-authored with Annie Holmes (Peirene Press, 2016), as well as recordings in collaboration with musicians.
In 2004 she won the May Ayim Award in the category Poetry, the first Black German Literary Award. Olumide has a PhD in Creative Writing and has lectured in creative writing at various universities.
Her novel When We Speak of Nothing was published by Cassava Republic Press in July 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 2, 2017
Back in 2011 when riots flared up in England, I remember riding home late at night on a bus that had to be diverted because Brixton was in chaos. Everyone on that bus was charged up with the news scrolling through their phones and checking social media for bits of information. It's interesting how when any major events like this happen in our local areas now a collective conversation occurs, but only within our circumscribed social groups and rarely with people we're actually sitting next to on public transportation. In the ensuing weeks the news was filled with people asking why this happened. Certainly the police shooting Mark Duggan sparked it off, but there must have been a lot of tension there already to provoke widespread arson and looting. Olumide Popoola certainly doesn't attempt a definitive answer to this complex question or speak for all the youth involved, but her engaging and vibrant novel “When We Speak of Nothing” represents something of the younger generation who felt under-represented and unheard. The author writes: "When we speak of nothing we don't end the silence." Moreover it's a heartrending tale of friendship, the British working class, first love and queer BAME (Black Asian & Minority Ethnic) youth culture.
Read my full review of When We Speak of Nothing by Olumide Popoola on LonesomeReader
Read my full review of When We Speak of Nothing by Olumide Popoola on LonesomeReader
August 19, 2018
To be young, a person of colour and in search of a concrete identity are major concerns of Olumide Popoola’s debut novel -
When We Speak of Nothing.
Set in a council estate in the borough of Kings Cross in central London and simultaneously in the oil rich city of Port Harcourt, this novel is a story about two boys - best friends discovering that there is a distinct difference between having an individual voice and, making oneself heard.
Abubakar (Abu) and Karl are in the heart of working class community. As such, their speech is peppered with ‘slang’ reflective of London’s inner city youth and working class communities - both of which have always had a separate language from the ruling class. This language, or vernacular, has a performative aspect which makes Olumide Popoola’s writing style unconventional.
It, however, took till near mid-read to get really comfortable with the book and warm up to the characters despite having grown up on the outskirts of London and being familiar with the lingo used by the protagonists and their friends. Thus, audiences wholly unfamiliar with inner city London dialects may find this form of ‘insider’ communication - though it somewhat enriches the novel - difficult to translate.
Another captivating factor is the friendship between the protagonists - Abu and Karl - who are introduced to the reader as being “like twins.” There is a sweetness to their relationship that the reader is sure to enjoy, and possibly learn from. This may be because friendship between boys, especially teenage boys, is often not presented, in literature, with the tenderness that the author gives in fleshing out Karl and Abu’s relationship.
The Niger Delta proves a pivotal place in terms of personal development for Karl. It is also where Popoola chooses to make a statement about LGBTQ identities and societal relationships to them. Given the misconception - aided by the criminalisation of LGBTQ identity by Nigerian government- that Nigeria as a whole condemns these identities, this is an interesting space to explore this theme. Through his movements, the reader has a peek at the detrimental effects the oil industry has on the ecology and health of the Niger Delta people.
Abu, on the other hand, learns about Britain and the slave trade - a topic that ignites a fire in him. The timing of these lessons coincide with the beginnings of what will come to be known as the 2011 London riots: inspired initially by the murder of Mark Duggan by London police, and amplified by the spread of crippling recession. It also gives him a reason to connect with his long-time crush - Nalini. This representation of young love in inner-city London, which blossoms from intellectual discourse, is a unique take in literature.
When We Speak of Nothing is indeed a well written narrative that refreshingly explores - with a respect for depth - friendship, masculinity, race and socio-economic issues that span London and Port Harcourt.
Read my full review of When We Speak Of Nothing on our website here .
Niki,
For The Book Banque.
Instagram - Twitter - Facebook .
Abubakar (Abu) and Karl are in the heart of working class community. As such, their speech is peppered with ‘slang’ reflective of London’s inner city youth and working class communities - both of which have always had a separate language from the ruling class. This language, or vernacular, has a performative aspect which makes Olumide Popoola’s writing style unconventional.
It, however, took till near mid-read to get really comfortable with the book and warm up to the characters despite having grown up on the outskirts of London and being familiar with the lingo used by the protagonists and their friends. Thus, audiences wholly unfamiliar with inner city London dialects may find this form of ‘insider’ communication - though it somewhat enriches the novel - difficult to translate.
Another captivating factor is the friendship between the protagonists - Abu and Karl - who are introduced to the reader as being “like twins.” There is a sweetness to their relationship that the reader is sure to enjoy, and possibly learn from. This may be because friendship between boys, especially teenage boys, is often not presented, in literature, with the tenderness that the author gives in fleshing out Karl and Abu’s relationship.
The Niger Delta proves a pivotal place in terms of personal development for Karl. It is also where Popoola chooses to make a statement about LGBTQ identities and societal relationships to them. Given the misconception - aided by the criminalisation of LGBTQ identity by Nigerian government- that Nigeria as a whole condemns these identities, this is an interesting space to explore this theme. Through his movements, the reader has a peek at the detrimental effects the oil industry has on the ecology and health of the Niger Delta people.
Abu, on the other hand, learns about Britain and the slave trade - a topic that ignites a fire in him. The timing of these lessons coincide with the beginnings of what will come to be known as the 2011 London riots: inspired initially by the murder of Mark Duggan by London police, and amplified by the spread of crippling recession. It also gives him a reason to connect with his long-time crush - Nalini. This representation of young love in inner-city London, which blossoms from intellectual discourse, is a unique take in literature.
When We Speak of Nothing is indeed a well written narrative that refreshingly explores - with a respect for depth - friendship, masculinity, race and socio-economic issues that span London and Port Harcourt.
Read my full review of When We Speak Of Nothing on our website here .
Niki,
For The Book Banque.
Instagram - Twitter - Facebook .
August 6, 2019
the scope of is so wide, (London, Nigeria, corruption, London riots, growing up as trans, chronic illness) but at its heart it's a beautiful macro story of two boys learning how to take care of one another. If you like character-driven stories I highly recommend!
December 5, 2018
One of the benefits of joining a book club is that you will be surprised by a book. This book was a complete unknown to me and hit my surprise nerve more than once.
To describe it requires some careful grammar and clear writing: it's a book written by a German-Nigerian woman living in London. She writes about best friends Abu and Karl living in council housing, navigating school and bullies and girls along side their personal challenges. The challenges are mostly for Karl. He more or less lives with Abu and his mother suffers from MS that occasionally puts her in the hospital. Karl seems to have a closer relationship with his social worker Godfrey than with his mother.
One day while going through the mail while his mother is in hospital, Karl comes across a letter from a man who turns out to be his uncle. Karl doesn't know who his father is, so discovering an uncle was an immediate and unexpected family expansion. His father is Nigerian. His uncle isa business man who travels in Europe a lot. Within weeks, the uncle is visiting Karl and soon thereafter, Karl is embarking on a secret trip to Nigeria to meet his father.
And yet at this point in the book, there haven't been any take-your-breath-away surprises yet. That comes after Karl arrives in Nigeria, his father has disappeared, and he turns out to have breasts and be on puberty blockers.
That one stopped me cold and sent me back to check references to gender police and nearly sent me back to reread the entire first sections of the book.
The rest of the novel continues apace. The friends become estranged. In fact, Karl seems to become estranged from everything and everyone in London until a serious accident finally pulls him back to London.
The book also has one of the most satisfying endings of any book I've read in a long time. It's so wonderfully wrapped up and sealed with a kiss that you'll just have to sit back and smile.
If there are weaknesses in this novel, they came for me in the sections where Karl and Abu are losing touch with each other. Karl's disregard for others is more painful for them than he admits to and I think he could suffer more consequences, even if only consequences of the conscience.
A good book, and enjoyable book, and worth reading.
To describe it requires some careful grammar and clear writing: it's a book written by a German-Nigerian woman living in London. She writes about best friends Abu and Karl living in council housing, navigating school and bullies and girls along side their personal challenges. The challenges are mostly for Karl. He more or less lives with Abu and his mother suffers from MS that occasionally puts her in the hospital. Karl seems to have a closer relationship with his social worker Godfrey than with his mother.
One day while going through the mail while his mother is in hospital, Karl comes across a letter from a man who turns out to be his uncle. Karl doesn't know who his father is, so discovering an uncle was an immediate and unexpected family expansion. His father is Nigerian. His uncle isa business man who travels in Europe a lot. Within weeks, the uncle is visiting Karl and soon thereafter, Karl is embarking on a secret trip to Nigeria to meet his father.
And yet at this point in the book, there haven't been any take-your-breath-away surprises yet. That comes after Karl arrives in Nigeria, his father has disappeared, and he turns out to have breasts and be on puberty blockers.
That one stopped me cold and sent me back to check references to gender police and nearly sent me back to reread the entire first sections of the book.
The rest of the novel continues apace. The friends become estranged. In fact, Karl seems to become estranged from everything and everyone in London until a serious accident finally pulls him back to London.
The book also has one of the most satisfying endings of any book I've read in a long time. It's so wonderfully wrapped up and sealed with a kiss that you'll just have to sit back and smile.
If there are weaknesses in this novel, they came for me in the sections where Karl and Abu are losing touch with each other. Karl's disregard for others is more painful for them than he admits to and I think he could suffer more consequences, even if only consequences of the conscience.
A good book, and enjoyable book, and worth reading.
June 16, 2020
I went into reading this novel with high hopes - the fact that it supposedly centred around the Mark Duggan killing made me want to read it this year in particular. There were enough interesting themes there that it should have been very readable. But I was disappointed.
The writing style was horrible to read. 250+ pages of staccato short sentences. Constant full stops. No two bits of information together. Never flowed. Bad. Tough to read. Perhaps trying stream of consciousness. Not successful. Shame.
Also, I didn't find the dialogue or thought processes of the main characters to be convincing at all. While there was a veneer of street slang and dialect, it just didn't sound like real teenagers. There's plenty of swearing, but then sometimes the word 'effing' is substituted for example. Sometimes they talk in full, unrealistic sentences, and sometimes they can't communicate at all. It felt like a mum trying (unsuccessfully) to write in the voice of her teenage child.
I don't like putting bad reviews, and normally try to be fair. But if you want a coming of age novel about multicultural London teenagers, I'd highly recommend starting with White Teeth by Zadie Smith... don't bother with this book.
The writing style was horrible to read. 250+ pages of staccato short sentences. Constant full stops. No two bits of information together. Never flowed. Bad. Tough to read. Perhaps trying stream of consciousness. Not successful. Shame.
Also, I didn't find the dialogue or thought processes of the main characters to be convincing at all. While there was a veneer of street slang and dialect, it just didn't sound like real teenagers. There's plenty of swearing, but then sometimes the word 'effing' is substituted for example. Sometimes they talk in full, unrealistic sentences, and sometimes they can't communicate at all. It felt like a mum trying (unsuccessfully) to write in the voice of her teenage child.
I don't like putting bad reviews, and normally try to be fair. But if you want a coming of age novel about multicultural London teenagers, I'd highly recommend starting with White Teeth by Zadie Smith... don't bother with this book.
April 27, 2024
den her bog har en de fineste skildringer af en transkønnet karakter, jeg har set.
December 7, 2023
The perspective of one of the protagonists (queer PoC) was something you don't come across very often. Apart from that, I thought it was a typical YA story. Decent but not mind-blowing.
March 25, 2024
Okay.
The plot: two best friends Abu and Karl growing up in inner city London, experiencing struggles of poverty, race inequality, bullying, teenage crushes and LGBTQ themes as Karl is transgender.
At the start Abu and Karl are best pals, dealing with life's difficulties: Karls mother has MS and is often sick and both have to deal with significant bullying. Karl has a social worker Godfrey who helps. Karl finds out his father that he never knew lives in Nigeria and that his mother has kept this from him. Therefore he leaves and travels to Nigeria where he experiences discrimination, is rejected by his father but finds more than he has lost: friendship and acceptance by his new friends John/nakale and love in janoma. Abu tries to hold the fort down in England but experiences terrible bullying and after learning more about the slave trade and other racial inequality he becomes involved in the 2011 riots. Abu ends up in a coma and Karl rushes back.
Highlights: I liked the vivid characters and the setting of the book: the concept of a transgender boy travelling to Nigeria, Karl's mother with MS, their relationship with the social worker Geoffrey and nakale and his work investigating the oil company.
Lowlight: I found the style of the writing really grating: it was very contemporary and written in either slang/pidgin Nigerian dialect. I often couldn't understand the sentences. And on top of it it didn't really read to be authentic (not that I would know) and often meant that there were lots of very staccato sentences that did not flow or read well. I also found the plot poor: it had all the makings of a great setup with the location and characters but then I just felt like so many storylines didn't develop further: nakales oil investigations, his mother's MS, Abus involvement with the riots, the bullies, the father. It felt like there could have been a second half of the book which tied these all together and concluded which was never written. Although I did end up skimming the last quarter of the book after I got too tied of the writing style, so maybe I missed some of these...
The plot: two best friends Abu and Karl growing up in inner city London, experiencing struggles of poverty, race inequality, bullying, teenage crushes and LGBTQ themes as Karl is transgender.
At the start Abu and Karl are best pals, dealing with life's difficulties: Karls mother has MS and is often sick and both have to deal with significant bullying. Karl has a social worker Godfrey who helps. Karl finds out his father that he never knew lives in Nigeria and that his mother has kept this from him. Therefore he leaves and travels to Nigeria where he experiences discrimination, is rejected by his father but finds more than he has lost: friendship and acceptance by his new friends John/nakale and love in janoma. Abu tries to hold the fort down in England but experiences terrible bullying and after learning more about the slave trade and other racial inequality he becomes involved in the 2011 riots. Abu ends up in a coma and Karl rushes back.
Highlights: I liked the vivid characters and the setting of the book: the concept of a transgender boy travelling to Nigeria, Karl's mother with MS, their relationship with the social worker Geoffrey and nakale and his work investigating the oil company.
Lowlight: I found the style of the writing really grating: it was very contemporary and written in either slang/pidgin Nigerian dialect. I often couldn't understand the sentences. And on top of it it didn't really read to be authentic (not that I would know) and often meant that there were lots of very staccato sentences that did not flow or read well. I also found the plot poor: it had all the makings of a great setup with the location and characters but then I just felt like so many storylines didn't develop further: nakales oil investigations, his mother's MS, Abus involvement with the riots, the bullies, the father. It felt like there could have been a second half of the book which tied these all together and concluded which was never written. Although I did end up skimming the last quarter of the book after I got too tied of the writing style, so maybe I missed some of these...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 1, 2017Two friends so close they are like twins. One who never stops talking. The other who never stops running. In the summer before their eighteenth birthdays, their lives pull them in different directions. Karl flies to Nigeria in search of a father he never knew existed. Abu stays behind, in a London about to explode into riots.
Port Harcourt gives Karl a chance to be himself, free of other people’s assumptions. In company of new friends, he learns how oil companies are despoiling the landscape while leaving local people in poverty.
“The village we are passing. Life expectancy is only 35 years. Because of the flaring. The gas, it comes back with the rain. There’s toxicity. Health problems.”
Back in London, Abu is immersed in a school project, discovering the memoirs of Mary Prince, an enslaved black woman who lived and worked in the Bloomsbury streets he walks down every day. And then there’s the anger that’s brewing on the streets. The anger that will explode into the 2011 riots.
Karl and Abu have always shared everything. But distance, new friendships and first love are all carving a space between them. Will their relationship be broken by their experiences – or just fundamentally changed?
This is a coming-of-age tale that explores friendship and trust, sexuality and gender. It touches, too, on the long legacy of slavery and colonialism to be found in both London and Nigeria. The voice is unusual, almost as if you’re overhearing a story one friend is telling another, and they’re not going to wait for you to catch up or fill in the gaps.
The sort of story that opens a window in your mind and lets in a breath of fresh air.
Port Harcourt gives Karl a chance to be himself, free of other people’s assumptions. In company of new friends, he learns how oil companies are despoiling the landscape while leaving local people in poverty.
“The village we are passing. Life expectancy is only 35 years. Because of the flaring. The gas, it comes back with the rain. There’s toxicity. Health problems.”
Back in London, Abu is immersed in a school project, discovering the memoirs of Mary Prince, an enslaved black woman who lived and worked in the Bloomsbury streets he walks down every day. And then there’s the anger that’s brewing on the streets. The anger that will explode into the 2011 riots.
Karl and Abu have always shared everything. But distance, new friendships and first love are all carving a space between them. Will their relationship be broken by their experiences – or just fundamentally changed?
This is a coming-of-age tale that explores friendship and trust, sexuality and gender. It touches, too, on the long legacy of slavery and colonialism to be found in both London and Nigeria. The voice is unusual, almost as if you’re overhearing a story one friend is telling another, and they’re not going to wait for you to catch up or fill in the gaps.
The sort of story that opens a window in your mind and lets in a breath of fresh air.
October 31, 2025
The plot is not bad, but the lack of narrative tension made it boring. I never got any feelings for the characters. I'm not sure why, but they felt detached, merely registering whats going on but not really experiencing it. Maybe it's the style of writing, the author downplaying things to make it feel more.. realistic?
Perhaps it could become a good movie none the less?
Perhaps it could become a good movie none the less?
August 12, 2025
An interesting book about a boy who visits his family in Nigeria (to really over simplify it). Readable, varied, memorable
August 21, 2017
This novel has to go in the category of 'very well written but not my thing.' I enjoyed the sections of the book where Karl was in Nigeria, as I always like to learn more about other countries and Popoola writes in such a way that the setting really comes alive.
Reading this novel reminded me of the many Booker Prize nominated books I have read. The prose is dense and filled with urban slang; furthermore it is written in a stream of consciousness which makes it difficult to put down and pick up again.
Ultimately I feel this novel has an important message about race and gender identity; however, I personally felt that the style of writing made it difficult for me to identify or care about the main characters as I felt as though they were at arms length.
I would recommend this book for people who enjoy a more lyrical style of narrative (I was not surprised to discover that the author is also a poet!) Thanks to Goodreads for providing me with a copy for review.
Reading this novel reminded me of the many Booker Prize nominated books I have read. The prose is dense and filled with urban slang; furthermore it is written in a stream of consciousness which makes it difficult to put down and pick up again.
Ultimately I feel this novel has an important message about race and gender identity; however, I personally felt that the style of writing made it difficult for me to identify or care about the main characters as I felt as though they were at arms length.
I would recommend this book for people who enjoy a more lyrical style of narrative (I was not surprised to discover that the author is also a poet!) Thanks to Goodreads for providing me with a copy for review.
March 4, 2021
When we speak of nothing is a coming of age novel written in prose which basically shows us, what it means to be young, black multicultural and queer.
Firstly, the primary reason I picked up this book was because of the LGBTQ+ genre. Absolutely didn't know what to expect but I did had high hopes for it.
With themes centering around friendship, queerness, racism, love, multiculturalism, masculinity and socio-economic issues. It turns out the expectations weren't met in this read. I can't exactly place it, but It didn't do it for me, despite having important themes.
I wasn't hooked and as for the writing style, I felt it made it difficult for me even due, I've read couple of books written in prose of which I loved them.
Notwithstanding that, I did enjoyed reading about Karl stay in Nigeria. And also the friendship between him and Abu🤗.
Firstly, the primary reason I picked up this book was because of the LGBTQ+ genre. Absolutely didn't know what to expect but I did had high hopes for it.
With themes centering around friendship, queerness, racism, love, multiculturalism, masculinity and socio-economic issues. It turns out the expectations weren't met in this read. I can't exactly place it, but It didn't do it for me, despite having important themes.
I wasn't hooked and as for the writing style, I felt it made it difficult for me even due, I've read couple of books written in prose of which I loved them.
Notwithstanding that, I did enjoyed reading about Karl stay in Nigeria. And also the friendship between him and Abu🤗.
July 10, 2018
It took me almost two thirds of the book to really settle into the characters, Abu and Karl. But this could be Popoola's intention as in reality it isn't easy to connect with a lost soul or someone trying to find themselves.
I expected more from this book, particularly with Karl's character given he had chosen Nigeria to develop his transgender identity. A country where LGBT persons face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT's.
This is a book which provides an insight from the perspective of two young London boys during a 6-8 weeks period in London during the 2011 riots and in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Karl and Abu characters explore race, gender, masculinity, class, gentrification and even the environmental issues of the Niger Delta.
Actual rating 3.5 stars.
I expected more from this book, particularly with Karl's character given he had chosen Nigeria to develop his transgender identity. A country where LGBT persons face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT's.
This is a book which provides an insight from the perspective of two young London boys during a 6-8 weeks period in London during the 2011 riots and in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Karl and Abu characters explore race, gender, masculinity, class, gentrification and even the environmental issues of the Niger Delta.
Actual rating 3.5 stars.
September 16, 2019
Not quite what I was expecting in terms of LGBTI struggles in Nigeria and perhaps needing a bit more elaboration on some very interesting characters, this is still a beautiful and fresh read, a coming-of-age story that will warm hearts and restore faith in humanity. One needs to be quite acquainted, however, with the 2011 London riots to get a full grasp of the background against which one of the storylines develops. I also missed some more depth around Shell activities in Nigeria, but I guess that is not a main point (not remotely) in the novel.
February 28, 2023
The story of this book was good, it was interesting enough to keep reading, but…the writing?? It was a constant schlep of slang, incomplete thoughts, and sentences that don’t make sense. The inner dialogue of all characters was unrealistic and incoherent. It was hard to follow anything that was going on. Is this an attempt at stream of consciousness? I don’t know. I wanted to like this book but…bleh.
2 stars.
2 stars.
dnf
December 10, 2017I didn't get past the first few pages before I decided to put this down for now. I may try again another time.
Trigger Warnings
Trigger Warnings
January 27, 2020
Loved the plot and issues it touched on but struggled a bit with the writing style.
May 15, 2019
It's a raw, current story based on the lives of two brothers who live in London. United before a society that discriminates against them for racial and sexual reasons.
This novel makes us see how difficult it can be to live in a world that excludes you because it is different. If you are impatient you are not ready to read this book because the beginning of it is quite slow, but it will improve throughout the chapters, since it becomes more interesting when one of the protanists decides and ventures to go to his country of origin .
The characters are very eloquent, each with its own story and the writer demonstrates great skills in shaping the East London accent on paper.
I want to emphasize in my opinion that the book touches a point of fantasy when the protagonist goes to Nigeria and is accepted by all his family and of course that is what the writer wanted to convey from his ideal Nigeria.
It is a book that I recommend for everyone and especially for people who feel and find themselves discriminated not only racially but also sexually, for their eloquence, their style and above all for their capacity for human transmission to which the protagonists face in their day to day.
This novel makes us see how difficult it can be to live in a world that excludes you because it is different. If you are impatient you are not ready to read this book because the beginning of it is quite slow, but it will improve throughout the chapters, since it becomes more interesting when one of the protanists decides and ventures to go to his country of origin .
The characters are very eloquent, each with its own story and the writer demonstrates great skills in shaping the East London accent on paper.
I want to emphasize in my opinion that the book touches a point of fantasy when the protagonist goes to Nigeria and is accepted by all his family and of course that is what the writer wanted to convey from his ideal Nigeria.
It is a book that I recommend for everyone and especially for people who feel and find themselves discriminated not only racially but also sexually, for their eloquence, their style and above all for their capacity for human transmission to which the protagonists face in their day to day.
March 1, 2020
This book is really well written. It was easy to follow and care about the characters, with an honest view of what it can be like to be young and not white in London at a time when racial tensions were especially high. It was also heart-warming to see the young characters grow into themselves and discover their heritage, and the strong sense of community amongst them.
My only issue was that the main character seemed to not think much about the fact that they are transgender and even doesn't seem to believe they were born a girl and they are now a boy. I found that a bit odd as it was randomly mentioned and sprung onto the reader, and it wasn't expanded upon. Unless the point Popoola is trying to make is that being trans is not something one is always thinking about or lets that define them, and by only mentioning it as a fact and not going on about it, they were making that point in that way.
Overall, a beautiful book.
My only issue was that the main character seemed to not think much about the fact that they are transgender and even doesn't seem to believe they were born a girl and they are now a boy. I found that a bit odd as it was randomly mentioned and sprung onto the reader, and it wasn't expanded upon. Unless the point Popoola is trying to make is that being trans is not something one is always thinking about or lets that define them, and by only mentioning it as a fact and not going on about it, they were making that point in that way.
Overall, a beautiful book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2018
When We Speak of Nothing by Olumide Popoola is a raw story about two best friends forming their identities in London and Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
I enjoyed it and yet I didn't. This was in the Young Adult section of the library so perhaps it wasn't intended for me 😉. But I couldn't resist picking up a novel published by @cassavarepublicpress and one with such a striking cover.
I liked how the LGBT identity and experience was handled and I liked the use of slang, pidgin and dialect.
I enjoyed it and yet I didn't. This was in the Young Adult section of the library so perhaps it wasn't intended for me 😉. But I couldn't resist picking up a novel published by @cassavarepublicpress and one with such a striking cover.
I liked how the LGBT identity and experience was handled and I liked the use of slang, pidgin and dialect.
October 20, 2018
This is a slim novel at 256 pages, but it’s absolutely bursting with vibrant themes. Best-friendship, parent-child relationships, first love, race, class, and trans identity are just a few of these. Popoola has previously written against the belief that queer identity is a “Western” idea, and she continues to follow this thread in When We Speak of Nothing, refusing to capitulate to the single narrative of Nigeria that we get in the media. The novel probably could have been longer to further explore its many themes, but Popoola does an amazing job of showing how vital each one is without prioritizing any over the others.
March 11, 2022
The author appears to have written this as part of her doctoral thesis so explains the style. So in terms of creativity, I'm giving it a 5 star. This is a book written for prose, and from the writer's passion and instinct rather than thinking of the market, however in terms of commercial writing probably a 3 or 2 star.
It took me a while to get into and when l did it flowed well. Basically about youth and gender identity. Nice twist at the very end.
It took me a while to get into and when l did it flowed well. Basically about youth and gender identity. Nice twist at the very end.
September 13, 2018
I don't often enjoy the whole stream of consciousness style, but it's tight and carefully crafted here so you never get lost along the way and I love it. It does what it's supposed to do, put you right in the place of these guys as they go through their lives and get thrown into disconcerting new stuff, without info-dumping or talking down to the reader.
November 18, 2018
This book was absolutely amazing. I didn’t know anything about it when I started: it’s a coming of age story about a young man from London with roots in Nigeria who goes to Nigeria to find his father, and, as expected in such a story, finds much more. But more than that, it’s about the people around him and what makes a relationship work and what destroys a relationship.
December 26, 2022
A very captivating coming of age story of young Karl. It captures teenage angst very well, but also touches on other topics like social & environmental issues in Nigeria, learning about slavery and racial injustice. The writing style is quite specific, it took me a little bit to get into it but once I did, I really enjoyed it. 100% recommend!
October 26, 2024
I don't think this was a book I liked or enjoyed. From the beginning, I thought too nany things were going on. Different streams of consciousness that didn't seem to sync...the story progresses but yet doesn't. The characters do not seem well rounded.
Yet I read it. I like its fresh take. Really bold for the year it was published.
Yet I read it. I like its fresh take. Really bold for the year it was published.
March 8, 2019
'When we speak of nothing, we don't end the silence' this is one of the many lines that have started with me since I read this book. I loved how it normalises queerness. A story of family, friend, and love. I enjoyed reading this book so much.
July 3, 2020
A great, complex coming-of-age novel with gripping character-level plots and very relevant politics.
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