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Dangerous Love: A Novel
From the Booker Prize–winning author of The Famished Road , a classic story of doomed love in a country trying to come to terms with its violent past.
An epic of daily life, Dangerous Love is one of Ben Okri’s most accessible and most disarming novels.
Omovo is an office worker and artist who lives at home with his father and his father’s second wife. In the communal world of the compound in which he lives, Omovo has both friends and enemies, but his most important relationship is with Ifeyiwa, a beautiful young married woman whom he loves with an almost hopeless passion—not because she doesn’t return his love, but because they can never be together.
Against the backdrop of Nigeria’s civil war, Ben Okri creates an atmosphere where passion takes on a wholly different dimension as danger, greed, hunger, and betrayal loom at every turn.
An epic of daily life, Dangerous Love is one of Ben Okri’s most accessible and most disarming novels.
Omovo is an office worker and artist who lives at home with his father and his father’s second wife. In the communal world of the compound in which he lives, Omovo has both friends and enemies, but his most important relationship is with Ifeyiwa, a beautiful young married woman whom he loves with an almost hopeless passion—not because she doesn’t return his love, but because they can never be together.
Against the backdrop of Nigeria’s civil war, Ben Okri creates an atmosphere where passion takes on a wholly different dimension as danger, greed, hunger, and betrayal loom at every turn.
528 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
56 people are currently reading
948 people want to read
About the author
Ben Okri
86 books987 followersPoet and novelist Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria, to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father. He grew up in London before returning to Nigeria with his family in 1968. Much of his early fiction explores the political violence that he witnessed at first hand during the civil war in Nigeria. He left the country when a grant from the Nigerian government enabled him to read Comparative Literature at Essex University in England.
He was poetry editor for West Africa magazine between 1983 and 1986 and broadcast regularly for the BBC World Service between 1983 and 1985. He was appointed Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge in 1991, a post he held until 1993. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1987, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Westminster (1997) and Essex (2002).
His first two novels, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.
In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007).
A collection of poems, An African Elegy, was published in 1992, and an epic poem, Mental Flight, in 1999. A collection of essays, A Way of Being Free, was published in 1997. Ben Okri is also the author of a play, In Exilus.
In his latest book, Tales of Freedom (2009), Okri brings together poetry and story.
Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001. He lives in London.
He was poetry editor for West Africa magazine between 1983 and 1986 and broadcast regularly for the BBC World Service between 1983 and 1985. He was appointed Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge in 1991, a post he held until 1993. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1987, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Westminster (1997) and Essex (2002).
His first two novels, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.
In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007).
A collection of poems, An African Elegy, was published in 1992, and an epic poem, Mental Flight, in 1999. A collection of essays, A Way of Being Free, was published in 1997. Ben Okri is also the author of a play, In Exilus.
In his latest book, Tales of Freedom (2009), Okri brings together poetry and story.
Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001. He lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
October 16, 2019
The efficacy of being human is atrocious. An individual, no matter how successfully he/she chooses to live his/her life, will almost always be thwarted by someone whose looking-glass differs from the individual at hand. In his novel Dangerous Love, Ben Okri attempted to re-create a similar world. The usage of the word 're-create' is intentional. In the introduction to the 2014 edition of the novel, Okri wrote, "I hope amongst my novels this one achieves something I had long sought, to portray a living moment and through that to reveal history, culture, society, the depths, the surfaces, and the mystery of being human."
Set in a war-stricken Nigeria, Dangerous Love is a love story of an artist and a married woman. The braided narrative of personal as well as the "history, culture, society" that the author seeked to portray revealed what can be called as the consciousness of a person as opposed to the teeming chaos of the nation. Okri, in my humble opinion, won my heart through his documentation of social history via fiction. As a storyteller, however, he failed.
The novel fell short of speaking to me on the grounds of its narration. Often repetitive and verbose for its own good, the deeply ruminative stance of the novel felt a little out of place. This, however, shouldn't act as a deterrence to the author. His storytelling in fiction didn't work for me but as a poet, he will always have a very special place in my heart.
Set in a war-stricken Nigeria, Dangerous Love is a love story of an artist and a married woman. The braided narrative of personal as well as the "history, culture, society" that the author seeked to portray revealed what can be called as the consciousness of a person as opposed to the teeming chaos of the nation. Okri, in my humble opinion, won my heart through his documentation of social history via fiction. As a storyteller, however, he failed.
The novel fell short of speaking to me on the grounds of its narration. Often repetitive and verbose for its own good, the deeply ruminative stance of the novel felt a little out of place. This, however, shouldn't act as a deterrence to the author. His storytelling in fiction didn't work for me but as a poet, he will always have a very special place in my heart.
December 21, 2018
Then he saw her. And when he saw her, weakness and longing flooded him in waves. Blood flushed his ears and his face felt hot. She stood at the entrance of the compound. When she saw him she bent over and whispered something to a little boy with a long face. Her hair was plaited in thin knitted bundles. She looked melancholy and pretty and contained. When she stared at him a wonderful and dangerous emotion happened inside him. Her face underwent a sad-happy darkening. He did not slow down. He desperately wanted to do something, to reach out to her in some way. But he did not stop.
*
Omovo felt something else waken in him: an unsuspected pang of loneliness. [...he] shrank into himself.[...] Omovo, feeling abandoned, tried not to think of anything. His mind whirled lightly. The bulb swung gently. The wind whistled through the compound. Mosquitoes attacked in squads. And the children howled. Omovo felt very far away from the life about him.
*
The murmurs of the ocean beckoned them. The sands gleamed. The foreshore was white under the moon. There were still a few people around. Keme sat on the shore and tried to catch crabs. Omovo lay down and watched the waves tumble, gather themselves, and then rage forward like an immense fluid piston, an interminable passion. Then the waves smashed the shore, and shards of water were flung everywhere. When the motion was complete, the waves rolled back on themselves and Omovo felt the vibrations travel through the earth and up his stomach. The extended hiss of the sea took on a primeval quality.
The night seemed to Omovo a calm mistress, suffering the passions of the ocean. Keme sat there, slept and dreamt. Omovo felt cleansed. His whole universe rolled itself into a single crystalline moment. Time vanished. Sea, night, sky hazed over and became one.
*
The poem spoke to Omovo: and he spoke to the poem. Reaching back in memory in an attempt to connect the scattered threads of their lives and to weave a pattern, he thought: ‘Life has no pattern and no threads. Is it futile trying to weave something through this maze?’
*
Omovo felt something else waken in him: an unsuspected pang of loneliness. [...he] shrank into himself.[...] Omovo, feeling abandoned, tried not to think of anything. His mind whirled lightly. The bulb swung gently. The wind whistled through the compound. Mosquitoes attacked in squads. And the children howled. Omovo felt very far away from the life about him.
*
The murmurs of the ocean beckoned them. The sands gleamed. The foreshore was white under the moon. There were still a few people around. Keme sat on the shore and tried to catch crabs. Omovo lay down and watched the waves tumble, gather themselves, and then rage forward like an immense fluid piston, an interminable passion. Then the waves smashed the shore, and shards of water were flung everywhere. When the motion was complete, the waves rolled back on themselves and Omovo felt the vibrations travel through the earth and up his stomach. The extended hiss of the sea took on a primeval quality.
The night seemed to Omovo a calm mistress, suffering the passions of the ocean. Keme sat there, slept and dreamt. Omovo felt cleansed. His whole universe rolled itself into a single crystalline moment. Time vanished. Sea, night, sky hazed over and became one.
*
The poem spoke to Omovo: and he spoke to the poem. Reaching back in memory in an attempt to connect the scattered threads of their lives and to weave a pattern, he thought: ‘Life has no pattern and no threads. Is it futile trying to weave something through this maze?’
January 5, 2015
This was my first Ben Okri and I understood why he had previously won prestigious book prizes. He gives a good narration of the scenery - helping the reader understand the different world the characters live in (set in a ghetto in Nigeria). Enjoyed it tremendously - but still felt it was too wordy. Ben Okri goes into too much detail painting a picture that the reader has probably understood. The characters however, are very clear and once one has a good imagination - one can form immediate bonds with them.
Good book! Good read.
Good book! Good read.
July 18, 2017
Dangerous Love is another one of those novels that I would not usually give a try – the schmaltzy butterfly ocean image on the front cover was enough to put me off. However, it was a prescribed work for one of my English modules and therefore I set off with determination and an open mind. After all, some academic expert thought it was a worthwhile piece of literature from which one can learn something.
Granted, someone who has little knowledge about or insight into rural, highly impoverished lifestyles in Africa, this book will indeed teach some distressing truths. As for the storyline and writing style, I was left highly frustrated and sometimes extremely bored. The descriptions are clumsy and laborious, the actions inconsistent and some paragraphs are just simply incoherent. The main character’s mood fluctuates so many times in one day that he does not appear to grow or develop in any way. It is a truly miserable and torturous reading for the most part.
Here and there, throughout the turmoil and gloom there was a clichéd inspirational truth which actually made some sense. That was the only aspect of the novel that I managed to appreciate somewhat. Dangerous Love revolves around the theme of art as a medium of expression and as an aid to dealing with life’s struggles. This is not only graphic art, such as Omovo’s painting, but any kind of artistic expression, such as Keme’s journalistic writing, Omovo’s brother’s poetry and Ifeyiwa’s dancing. However, most importantly, art is an exposition and reflection of the truth. The bad things in life cannot be corrected until they are taken notice of. Omovo and Dr. Okocha sum it up in the following passage: “We don’t look at ugly things enough ... Ugliness is the face we always turn away from ... When things are bad people don’t want to face the truth. I don’t know why the old painters always made Truth a beautiful woman. Truth is an ugly old woman.” This passage forms one of the important notions in Dangerous Love: art is not always beautiful. In fact, art often should not be beautiful, as it needs to portray the truth. Therefore, in Okri’s tale, art serves as a metaphor for the truth; people often prefer to ignore the truth if it is not appealing. Omovo’s friend Keme makes the following observation: “...we print stories about a man that eats metal. About rats that eat up canoes in Egypt, about a women who gives birth to quadruplets, but we won’t print the story of a girl who had been murdered in a park, on the edge of the Atlantic” The truth needs to be faced and made more noticeable. In this novel, the way to do this is through art. Dr. Okocha says the following about truth: “...we can only face her with the help of a mirror. That mirror is art”. In order to address the problems in one’s life or society, they need to be exposed first if they are going to be solved. Ugliness (the truth) is compared to a wound, it needs to be opened and exposed in order to heal instead of ignored and Dr. Okocha makes the following observation “ugliness festers while people cry for images of beauty, for illusions”. It is made clear, however, that Dr. Okocha does not think that exposing the truth about the world and ourselves will solve all problems and lead directly to happiness. Actions need to be taken to improve circumstances, but realising the truth remains the first step in the process: “Things have got to improve. But first we have to see ourselves clearly, as we are.”
Although described by our lecturers as an important and influential work in post-colonial and post-modernistic literature, I had trouble grasping its significance. I hope I never have to read this again!
Granted, someone who has little knowledge about or insight into rural, highly impoverished lifestyles in Africa, this book will indeed teach some distressing truths. As for the storyline and writing style, I was left highly frustrated and sometimes extremely bored. The descriptions are clumsy and laborious, the actions inconsistent and some paragraphs are just simply incoherent. The main character’s mood fluctuates so many times in one day that he does not appear to grow or develop in any way. It is a truly miserable and torturous reading for the most part.
Here and there, throughout the turmoil and gloom there was a clichéd inspirational truth which actually made some sense. That was the only aspect of the novel that I managed to appreciate somewhat. Dangerous Love revolves around the theme of art as a medium of expression and as an aid to dealing with life’s struggles. This is not only graphic art, such as Omovo’s painting, but any kind of artistic expression, such as Keme’s journalistic writing, Omovo’s brother’s poetry and Ifeyiwa’s dancing. However, most importantly, art is an exposition and reflection of the truth. The bad things in life cannot be corrected until they are taken notice of. Omovo and Dr. Okocha sum it up in the following passage: “We don’t look at ugly things enough ... Ugliness is the face we always turn away from ... When things are bad people don’t want to face the truth. I don’t know why the old painters always made Truth a beautiful woman. Truth is an ugly old woman.” This passage forms one of the important notions in Dangerous Love: art is not always beautiful. In fact, art often should not be beautiful, as it needs to portray the truth. Therefore, in Okri’s tale, art serves as a metaphor for the truth; people often prefer to ignore the truth if it is not appealing. Omovo’s friend Keme makes the following observation: “...we print stories about a man that eats metal. About rats that eat up canoes in Egypt, about a women who gives birth to quadruplets, but we won’t print the story of a girl who had been murdered in a park, on the edge of the Atlantic” The truth needs to be faced and made more noticeable. In this novel, the way to do this is through art. Dr. Okocha says the following about truth: “...we can only face her with the help of a mirror. That mirror is art”. In order to address the problems in one’s life or society, they need to be exposed first if they are going to be solved. Ugliness (the truth) is compared to a wound, it needs to be opened and exposed in order to heal instead of ignored and Dr. Okocha makes the following observation “ugliness festers while people cry for images of beauty, for illusions”. It is made clear, however, that Dr. Okocha does not think that exposing the truth about the world and ourselves will solve all problems and lead directly to happiness. Actions need to be taken to improve circumstances, but realising the truth remains the first step in the process: “Things have got to improve. But first we have to see ourselves clearly, as we are.”
Although described by our lecturers as an important and influential work in post-colonial and post-modernistic literature, I had trouble grasping its significance. I hope I never have to read this again!
September 28, 2017
I have to be honest, if this book wasn't a set work for my degree I wouldn't have soldiered through it. Either the main character is bi-polar with his moods moving from one extreme to the other or the author is. The main characters tentative grasp of reality made this novel feel like 400 pages of hallucinations, with a main character who was so "deep" that actually nothing made sense and the story didn't really go anywhere. Would love to get a painters opinion on this story to see if painters are anything like this. Somehow I highly doubt it.
Didn't enjoy it. Go find another book that will bring you much more joy instead of wasting valuable time on this one.
Didn't enjoy it. Go find another book that will bring you much more joy instead of wasting valuable time on this one.
February 7, 2018
Story about the lives of the people in a compound in Nigeria after the civil war.
A young artist loves a married woman, a young girl who was married against her will to an older man who forces himself on her.
It's a story about lost dreams, about hopelessness and about the humdrum of ordinary lives in a corrupt and poverty-stricken slum.
The protagonist is a very passive character, which is not so appealing, but I suppose it supports the fact that the people are mostly acted upon.
Mostly liked it except where the author took flight.
A young artist loves a married woman, a young girl who was married against her will to an older man who forces himself on her.
It's a story about lost dreams, about hopelessness and about the humdrum of ordinary lives in a corrupt and poverty-stricken slum.
The protagonist is a very passive character, which is not so appealing, but I suppose it supports the fact that the people are mostly acted upon.
Mostly liked it except where the author took flight.
January 7, 2011
If you read one book this month, make it this one! I love the way Okri depicts his characters and his innate sense of place shines through in his writing. His description of the suburbs of Lagos and the town where Omovo, the protagonist, stays for a while are so vivid that you can imagine yourself there and the portrayal of a very dangerous love between Omovo and Ifeyiwa is at once entrancing and heartbreaking.
December 8, 2016
Deep, intense, thought provoking, beautifully written. Looking at the title, it should have been Forbidden instead of dangerous love. The spatial-temporal setting of the story was appropriate and infused life into the story. The crowded and dirty places couldn't have been more real. Nonetheless
I struggles to visualize how Omovo and Ifeyiwa's buildings were situated relative to one another, apart from the understanding that they were very close.
Each character was unique, and had his own or her own story of survival, deferred dreams, hopes for the future and survival in post colonial Nigeria, despite other having had seriously traumatic pasts.
Omovo's family story hit a personal nerve and I read the story about her mother and brother's lives and the circumstances under which his brothers left home with pain and sharp bitterness. Nonetheless Blackie brought justice to the situation, at least as far as penance is concerned.
The dwellers in Omovo's compound were jovial and infused humour into any situation and topic, acted like real African township/urban residents with sharp inquisitiveness and gossiping tongues. Poverty, wars, adultery, diseases, under development, rituals involving murder, secret satanic gatherings, police incompetence, nepotism and abuse of power by politically connected officials are unfortunately integral to Africa and shamefully reflected in human settlements.
Ife and Omovo's love story was simple, beautiful and forbidden unfortunately. How it would have turned out had the circumstances been different is unknown. But, Judging from the casual manner in which Omovo conducted himself at home and in the workplace and his little or no ambition, the beautiful Ifeyiwa would probably be swept off her feet by a wealthy man.
I think the author hates or is seriously concerned about modern day Nigeria, but loves the country's landscape, natural riches and its potential to be one of the top countries in the world.
The book was great and I recommend it to all.
I struggles to visualize how Omovo and Ifeyiwa's buildings were situated relative to one another, apart from the understanding that they were very close.
Each character was unique, and had his own or her own story of survival, deferred dreams, hopes for the future and survival in post colonial Nigeria, despite other having had seriously traumatic pasts.
Omovo's family story hit a personal nerve and I read the story about her mother and brother's lives and the circumstances under which his brothers left home with pain and sharp bitterness. Nonetheless Blackie brought justice to the situation, at least as far as penance is concerned.
The dwellers in Omovo's compound were jovial and infused humour into any situation and topic, acted like real African township/urban residents with sharp inquisitiveness and gossiping tongues. Poverty, wars, adultery, diseases, under development, rituals involving murder, secret satanic gatherings, police incompetence, nepotism and abuse of power by politically connected officials are unfortunately integral to Africa and shamefully reflected in human settlements.
Ife and Omovo's love story was simple, beautiful and forbidden unfortunately. How it would have turned out had the circumstances been different is unknown. But, Judging from the casual manner in which Omovo conducted himself at home and in the workplace and his little or no ambition, the beautiful Ifeyiwa would probably be swept off her feet by a wealthy man.
I think the author hates or is seriously concerned about modern day Nigeria, but loves the country's landscape, natural riches and its potential to be one of the top countries in the world.
The book was great and I recommend it to all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2019
I don't think this is quite a three, it's more three and a loose lying star. I often review books based on how they made me feel.
I was very distressed when I was reading this, I felt suffocated and stuck. I think that is Omovo's emotional state of being most of the time.
I could grasp some of the lucid moments Omovo had, because as a reader of Tata Zakes Mda's work, I am used to protagonists who are artists, living in poor conditions and often experience lucid ethereal awake moments.
My only issue with Omovo's is that, it was all very disjointed. There was nothing to hold the art and interpret it into the story. One moment he is walking on the street, the next he is having an experience and then, there is nothing.
So maybe this book is about dreams and visions unfulfilled, left in our heads, hearts, memories, imaginations, with no place else to go.
Moments of clarity that are within our grasp and then without warning, just turn to ash in the wind.
It's not a book for everyone, I didn't absolutely hate it, but I would not recommend it easily.
I was very distressed when I was reading this, I felt suffocated and stuck. I think that is Omovo's emotional state of being most of the time.
I could grasp some of the lucid moments Omovo had, because as a reader of Tata Zakes Mda's work, I am used to protagonists who are artists, living in poor conditions and often experience lucid ethereal awake moments.
My only issue with Omovo's is that, it was all very disjointed. There was nothing to hold the art and interpret it into the story. One moment he is walking on the street, the next he is having an experience and then, there is nothing.
So maybe this book is about dreams and visions unfulfilled, left in our heads, hearts, memories, imaginations, with no place else to go.
Moments of clarity that are within our grasp and then without warning, just turn to ash in the wind.
It's not a book for everyone, I didn't absolutely hate it, but I would not recommend it easily.
August 5, 2023
26-oji XX a. aukso fondo serijai priklausanti knyga, kurios autorius yra iš Nigerijis kilęs dabar jau britų rašytojas Ben Okri. Tai tikras nelaimingų žmonių nelaimingoje šalyje rinkinys - tikrai, nei vieno laimingo veikėjo. Autorius tiesiog nuoširdžiai išlieja savo skausmą dėl gimtosios šalies skurdo, nevilties, tamsumo. Pabaigoje jis tarsi babdo palikti mažą viltie spindulėlį, kad ateitis gali pasikeisti, bet aš jo tikrai nepajutau. Viskas purvina ir juoda.
September 11, 2025
Sitting in the bookcase for years, I knew I 'had' to read it but it was slow and heavy. I cherish books that take the reader to a different culture and this one is war torn Nigeria in the 70s. The love between the struggling artist and married woman is so emotive, the setting and supporting stories cruel and hard. The beauty in nature of a stunning country tried to rear its head but kept being overwhelmed by hardship, poverty and the harrowing legacy of the past 'white man's' rule. I now need to read an easy, uplifting book!!
June 5, 2011
This is my second Okri book. The first was 'Famished Road.' Personally, I enjoyed Famished Road much more than this one. Ultimately they seem to be about similar things (the fate of Africa, its current state, what it is that the children of Africa have been handed down.) I felt that that theme, however, fit much more naturally into Famished Road. This book focuses on two people and their family's then, towards the end, expands greatly and really broadens out its scope and ideas. It didn't feel as natural to me as Famished Road. With that said, I love Okri's language. Something that will keep me reading Okri is that I never know where he is going to go with a discription or a passage. He makes really wierd and vivid comparisons. Even though I struggled a little bit in the middle of this one, he would have lines that I would just write 'wow' next to. His language is beautiful. I don't always know where Okri is going, but when I read him I get a sense of great philosophical depth and complexity. Like he is trying to communicate something really profound, and he just happened to choose the novel as his form.
September 5, 2019
Novel that tells the love story between Omovo and Ifeyiwa. A hidden love that rises against any prognosis marked by frustration, torment and envy that will often lead to desperate acts. This work by Ben okri, written with great mastery and with prose sometimes so lyrical that seems pure poetry, is set in the suburbs of a chaotic, divided Nigeria, a poisonous heritage left by the white man, creator of borders where they did not exist before, provoking rivalries between peoples, usurper of wealth and souls, genesis of a gangrenous, unequal, impoverished, ignorant pseudo-society, perfect framework for death and destruction. "Our society is a battlefield. Poverty, corruption and hunger are its bullets. Bad governments are their bombs and the military continues to rule us."
"All education is bad until one educates oneself."
"All education is bad until one educates oneself."
May 3, 2022
A simply wonderful story, simultaneously heartbreaking, endearing and enthralling. Like the seemingly endless jungle of alleyways of the Lagos in which our protagonists live, the blending of the harshness of the real, everyday world with the wildness of their dreams is dazzling, disorienting and mystifying.
The intense, vivid moment-to-moment experiences of the characters blended with the haunting hallucinations and reminiscences of the all-too-recent wartime, with its terrible legacy bleeding all over their hopes of peace, joy and prosperity, makes one feel right there in this world with them, caught in disenchanted youth with tortured dreams which one is almost certain will never be realised.
The intense, vivid moment-to-moment experiences of the characters blended with the haunting hallucinations and reminiscences of the all-too-recent wartime, with its terrible legacy bleeding all over their hopes of peace, joy and prosperity, makes one feel right there in this world with them, caught in disenchanted youth with tortured dreams which one is almost certain will never be realised.
January 6, 2016
Ben Okri's writing quite often lies in the blurred landscape between reality and fable. You somehow drink the words and whilst you don't always get the whole picture of what is going on, you take away something from the text and you are somehow changed by the text you have read.
This book while still decent, was for me not as engaging as some of Okri's other works that I have read. This is a re-write of one of his earlier books and was for me a fair read but nothing that will stay with me like his Famished Road trilogy or some of his poetry.
I have read 12 of his works now and am pleased to have discovered him in 2015.
This book while still decent, was for me not as engaging as some of Okri's other works that I have read. This is a re-write of one of his earlier books and was for me a fair read but nothing that will stay with me like his Famished Road trilogy or some of his poetry.
I have read 12 of his works now and am pleased to have discovered him in 2015.
July 1, 2021
Best book I ever found in a Little Free Library collection. I would really like to hang out with Ben Okri someday, he seems to write effortlessly in the style I strive for and fail to achieve when I'm at my absolute best. It's not just that the story is brilliant and engaging, it's that I constantly finding myself thinking, "Yes, that's exactly how that feels" in virtually every section of the book. And it never strikes me as being overdone.
June 18, 2018
The only interesting part of the book for me were the aspects about Nigeria and its political and social climate post civil war. The story line, not so much. Okri is a great writer though, as I was really absorbed by his use of language and words.
December 7, 2011
The book started with promise but midway, I felt like it was forced. I finished it just to finish it.
April 10, 2024
Everything is beautiful about this novel. Easily one of Okri's beautiful work. I found myself unable to put it down since I started it. I kept dreaming of it as I slept at night.
July 2, 2022
1996. Author says he wrote the first version in 1981.
Set in Lagos, in a ghetto of apparently mostly Igbo migrants.
It seems to me what is said [below] about the content of his first two novels also fits this one. The main character Omovo, 24, is an aspiring painter and has long talks with a couple of his friends. As in the author's life, Omovo's father's native language is Urhobo and their hometown is Ughelli.
The first half in particular is full of sensory descriptions of the ghetto - the smells, the sights, the sounds, the constant people surrounding anything that attracts attention, the temperature and humidity, the dust of the unpaved roads, the mosquitoes. It seems to give a very good overall impression of daily life there.
A long description of the daily struggle to get on an overcrowded bus to get to work each morning is very well done. p 176. The after-effects of the civil was [Biafra] are referred to briefly, p 180, but perhaps form the backdrop for the large numbers of Igbo who have come to live in Lagos.
Endemic corruption and bribery at Omovo's workplace are detailed in the middle, pp 183-198.
The author's aim in writing this book is perhaps about the same as Omovo's aim in painting, p 204:
'He wanted to create a simple vision, to start with what he knew and what had hurt him, what had hurt all the people he identified with the most. He wanted his work to be fed from as many dimensions as made up the human. Nothing would be too big or too small to include. He wanted his work to awaken the emotions and the inexpressible states that he felt, the states that fed into streams, then into great seas...The highest function of art was to make people feel more, see more, feel more fully, see more truthfully.'
'Omovo remembered what the men of his compound has said about the massive can of worms. He thought about the entanglement of bureaucracy and corruption that had spread throughout the society. He thought about the older generation, how they had squandered and stolen much of the country's resources, eaten up its future, weakened it potential, enriched themselves, got fat, created chaos everywhere, poisoned the next generation, and spread rashes of hunger through the land.'
Omovo's friend Dele expresses the stereotype desire of escaping to the 'paradise' of America, pp 112-113.
Quite a lot of nice language -- unusual choice of words
===========================================
"Poet and novelist Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria, to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father. He grew up in London before returning to Nigeria with his family in 1968. Much of his early fiction explores the political violence that he witnessed at first hand during the civil war in Nigeria. He left the country when a grant from the Nigerian government enabled him to read Comparative Literature at Essex University in England.
His first two novels, *Flowers and Shadows* (1980) and *The Landscapes Within* (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.
In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel *The Famished Road* (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in *Songs of Enchantment* (1993) and *Infinite Riches* (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007)."
Set in Lagos, in a ghetto of apparently mostly Igbo migrants.
It seems to me what is said [below] about the content of his first two novels also fits this one. The main character Omovo, 24, is an aspiring painter and has long talks with a couple of his friends. As in the author's life, Omovo's father's native language is Urhobo and their hometown is Ughelli.
The first half in particular is full of sensory descriptions of the ghetto - the smells, the sights, the sounds, the constant people surrounding anything that attracts attention, the temperature and humidity, the dust of the unpaved roads, the mosquitoes. It seems to give a very good overall impression of daily life there.
A long description of the daily struggle to get on an overcrowded bus to get to work each morning is very well done. p 176. The after-effects of the civil was [Biafra] are referred to briefly, p 180, but perhaps form the backdrop for the large numbers of Igbo who have come to live in Lagos.
Endemic corruption and bribery at Omovo's workplace are detailed in the middle, pp 183-198.
The author's aim in writing this book is perhaps about the same as Omovo's aim in painting, p 204:
'He wanted to create a simple vision, to start with what he knew and what had hurt him, what had hurt all the people he identified with the most. He wanted his work to be fed from as many dimensions as made up the human. Nothing would be too big or too small to include. He wanted his work to awaken the emotions and the inexpressible states that he felt, the states that fed into streams, then into great seas...The highest function of art was to make people feel more, see more, feel more fully, see more truthfully.'
'Omovo remembered what the men of his compound has said about the massive can of worms. He thought about the entanglement of bureaucracy and corruption that had spread throughout the society. He thought about the older generation, how they had squandered and stolen much of the country's resources, eaten up its future, weakened it potential, enriched themselves, got fat, created chaos everywhere, poisoned the next generation, and spread rashes of hunger through the land.'
Omovo's friend Dele expresses the stereotype desire of escaping to the 'paradise' of America, pp 112-113.
Quite a lot of nice language -- unusual choice of words
===========================================
"Poet and novelist Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria, to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father. He grew up in London before returning to Nigeria with his family in 1968. Much of his early fiction explores the political violence that he witnessed at first hand during the civil war in Nigeria. He left the country when a grant from the Nigerian government enabled him to read Comparative Literature at Essex University in England.
His first two novels, *Flowers and Shadows* (1980) and *The Landscapes Within* (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.
In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel *The Famished Road* (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in *Songs of Enchantment* (1993) and *Infinite Riches* (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007)."
August 18, 2023
If I had to rate Dangerous Love in the beginning, I would've given it 2-3 stars. Keeping at it rendered it a five for the quality of writing; the depth of character; the emotion evoking scenes and thoughts; and the sense of place - as repugnant as it was... The story was not enjoyable, either.
Dangerous Loves was my first Ben Okri. I look forward to Famished Road. His main characters are seekers - seeking to be out of the place, the compound in Nigeria, after the Civil War. I wanted to be out of the same place. Okri is skilled in the short sentence structure evoking rich emotion.
The ill-fated love between Omovo and Ipafeyina, another man's wife, reflects Nigeria's very troubled history. Another ascendant theme is the struggle in the creative artist, Omovo, and his inner process.
I had a sense of hearing a Mahler symphony during reading the ending of Dangerous Love. The spectacular crescendo of Omovo's delirium, delusions, illusions, and dawn breaking, light banishing the dark was powerful and evocative. It is certainly the hero's journey. As my mother used to say: You must get through the wilderness before you reach the promised land. Omovo's journey and my reading experience of his journey, for certain.
P454: Then an illumination settled him. He breathed deeply the dewy air and shut his eyes and saw a face bleeding a curious quivering-blinding-light. As he breathed in, energy was drawn inwards and he felt oddly faint, felt himself falling into a vortex of primordial, volatile being. Then, as he let out his breath he felt a if he had hit upon a discovery, a secret that had been apparent all along. He shouted triumphantly: THE MOMENT! And he gave himself over to the wonder that had awoken in him.
So satisfying!
Dangerous Loves was my first Ben Okri. I look forward to Famished Road. His main characters are seekers - seeking to be out of the place, the compound in Nigeria, after the Civil War. I wanted to be out of the same place. Okri is skilled in the short sentence structure evoking rich emotion.
The ill-fated love between Omovo and Ipafeyina, another man's wife, reflects Nigeria's very troubled history. Another ascendant theme is the struggle in the creative artist, Omovo, and his inner process.
I had a sense of hearing a Mahler symphony during reading the ending of Dangerous Love. The spectacular crescendo of Omovo's delirium, delusions, illusions, and dawn breaking, light banishing the dark was powerful and evocative. It is certainly the hero's journey. As my mother used to say: You must get through the wilderness before you reach the promised land. Omovo's journey and my reading experience of his journey, for certain.
P454: Then an illumination settled him. He breathed deeply the dewy air and shut his eyes and saw a face bleeding a curious quivering-blinding-light. As he breathed in, energy was drawn inwards and he felt oddly faint, felt himself falling into a vortex of primordial, volatile being. Then, as he let out his breath he felt a if he had hit upon a discovery, a secret that had been apparent all along. He shouted triumphantly: THE MOMENT! And he gave himself over to the wonder that had awoken in him.
So satisfying!
May 11, 2023
Dangerous Love by Ben Okri possibly released in 2015.
Re-released, but apparently written in ‘96.Then perhaps revised
A young artist (a painter) living in his father’s compound with his stepmother, and in love with a jealous neighbor’s unhappy young wife.
His friends include a journalist, a troublemaking older friend, a comrade on his way to America, and an older artist.
Omova’s work at the Ebony Exhibition is seized by the government as telling too much about current Nigeria, not glossing over things enough.
He is probably a good if abstract artist; he has a lot on his plate; he doesn’t get along with his stepmother; his father threw his older brothers out and sent them on their own; he is playing with fire by having an affair with and painting the neighbor’s abused young wife.
The scenario of Lagos that is painted is both lovely and disgusting with the scumpond just in front of the compound where he lives, across form the compound of the 17 year old abused young woman, Iveyewa.
Poverty, power cuts, a blend of religions… and too many people everywhere….
Part 3: off to work by crowded buses…..how hard it is to get to work!
A crescendo of Nigerian themes..
Corruption at the chemicals warehouse and firable offense by the protagonist artist
Insane sex with iveywa and escape from the husband
A mysterious outdoor ceremony with a baby possibly being abandoned
Part 4
Takpo who drunkenly rides off with Ifeyewa. to the woods and lugubriously threatens her life comes off as quite pathetic ..
And how will this all turn out in the final 12 chapters……
Not totally surprisingly, Ifeyewa and Omova’s affair runs into serius difficulties;
Dr. of Signs, Dr. Okocha is portrayed as a mentor or the muse for Omova as an artist… as he reads the lobes of the kola towards the end of the novel
It may be Dr O (or it may be the author) (one and the same) who points out that “time will put a strange honey in the bitterness” … “that’s the way life goes…”
Lots more drinking than is good for the characters, particularly Ifeyewa’s husband and Omova’s Dad. Lots of power cuts (seizures). A great deal of violence. More than a bit of corruption at the Chemical Warehouse where Omova is employed for a while…… and some of the bad stuff that happened during the war is described…..
But it is a difficult book to “enjoy.” It is not sure if it is a fated love story or a portrait of a young artist, or of a country at a point in time….
Re-released, but apparently written in ‘96.Then perhaps revised
A young artist (a painter) living in his father’s compound with his stepmother, and in love with a jealous neighbor’s unhappy young wife.
His friends include a journalist, a troublemaking older friend, a comrade on his way to America, and an older artist.
Omova’s work at the Ebony Exhibition is seized by the government as telling too much about current Nigeria, not glossing over things enough.
He is probably a good if abstract artist; he has a lot on his plate; he doesn’t get along with his stepmother; his father threw his older brothers out and sent them on their own; he is playing with fire by having an affair with and painting the neighbor’s abused young wife.
The scenario of Lagos that is painted is both lovely and disgusting with the scumpond just in front of the compound where he lives, across form the compound of the 17 year old abused young woman, Iveyewa.
Poverty, power cuts, a blend of religions… and too many people everywhere….
Part 3: off to work by crowded buses…..how hard it is to get to work!
A crescendo of Nigerian themes..
Corruption at the chemicals warehouse and firable offense by the protagonist artist
Insane sex with iveywa and escape from the husband
A mysterious outdoor ceremony with a baby possibly being abandoned
Part 4
Takpo who drunkenly rides off with Ifeyewa. to the woods and lugubriously threatens her life comes off as quite pathetic ..
And how will this all turn out in the final 12 chapters……
Not totally surprisingly, Ifeyewa and Omova’s affair runs into serius difficulties;
Dr. of Signs, Dr. Okocha is portrayed as a mentor or the muse for Omova as an artist… as he reads the lobes of the kola towards the end of the novel
It may be Dr O (or it may be the author) (one and the same) who points out that “time will put a strange honey in the bitterness” … “that’s the way life goes…”
Lots more drinking than is good for the characters, particularly Ifeyewa’s husband and Omova’s Dad. Lots of power cuts (seizures). A great deal of violence. More than a bit of corruption at the Chemical Warehouse where Omova is employed for a while…… and some of the bad stuff that happened during the war is described…..
But it is a difficult book to “enjoy.” It is not sure if it is a fated love story or a portrait of a young artist, or of a country at a point in time….
February 13, 2022
Αν και το κείμενο στο οπισθόφυλλο (που φιλοξενείται και στην περιγραφή του goodreads) καθιστά σαφές το περιεχόμενο της πλοκής, να τονίσω κι εγώ ότι ΔΕΝ πρόκειται για αισθηματικό μυθιστόρημα. Κι ας δίνει, ίσως, τέτοια εντύπωση ο τίτλος.
Στην πραγματικότητα, ο συγγραφέας δεν διηγείται μια ιστορία που η αγάπη μεταξύ δυο νέων κρύβει κινδύνους, αλλά μέσα από την ιστορία του μας δηλώνει ότι κάθε αγάπη ΕΙΝΑΙ επικίνδυνη. Η αγάπη για τον συνάνθρωπο, για μια τέχνη, για τη ζωή.
Ουσιαστικά η απαγορευμένη αγάπη του Ομόβο και της Ιφεγίουα αποτελεί απλώς το πρόσχημα για να μας περιγράψει ο Όκρι το πορτραίτο της Νιγηρίας των αρχών των '70s, λίγο μετά τον εμφύλιο πόλεμο. Μέσω του Ομόβο νιώθουμε την αγωνία ενός νέου που κάτω από δύσκολες συνθήκες διαβίωσης κι ενώ του συμβαίνουν τραγικά γεγονότα (τόσο στην πατρίδα του όσο και στο οικογενειακό του περιβάλλον), καταλαβαίνει ότι δεν γίνεται να σταματήσει να ονειρεύεται, ότι τα όνειρα ουσιαστικά δίνουν νόημα στην ούτως ή άλλως μάταιη ανθρώπινη ζωή.
Η πλοκή είναι αργή και οι λεπτομερείς περιγραφές μάλλον θα πέσουν «βαριές» στον μέσο αναγνώστη, αλλά αντικειμενικά ο λυρισμός του Όκρι (που είναι και ποιητής) δεν είναι υπερβολικός, δεν κουράζει. Μου πήρε βέβαια και μένα πολλές μέρες για να το τελειώσω και γι' αυτό ήμουν σε φάση να το αφήσω στα τρία αστέρια, γενικά όμως δεν διαβάζω γρήγορα και θεωρώ ότι θα το αδικούσα.
Στην πραγματικότητα, ο συγγραφέας δεν διηγείται μια ιστορία που η αγάπη μεταξύ δυο νέων κρύβει κινδύνους, αλλά μέσα από την ιστορία του μας δηλώνει ότι κάθε αγάπη ΕΙΝΑΙ επικίνδυνη. Η αγάπη για τον συνάνθρωπο, για μια τέχνη, για τη ζωή.
Ουσιαστικά η απαγορευμένη αγάπη του Ομόβο και της Ιφεγίουα αποτελεί απλώς το πρόσχημα για να μας περιγράψει ο Όκρι το πορτραίτο της Νιγηρίας των αρχών των '70s, λίγο μετά τον εμφύλιο πόλεμο. Μέσω του Ομόβο νιώθουμε την αγωνία ενός νέου που κάτω από δύσκολες συνθήκες διαβίωσης κι ενώ του συμβαίνουν τραγικά γεγονότα (τόσο στην πατρίδα του όσο και στο οικογενειακό του περιβάλλον), καταλαβαίνει ότι δεν γίνεται να σταματήσει να ονειρεύεται, ότι τα όνειρα ουσιαστικά δίνουν νόημα στην ούτως ή άλλως μάταιη ανθρώπινη ζωή.
Η πλοκή είναι αργή και οι λεπτομερείς περιγραφές μάλλον θα πέσουν «βαριές» στον μέσο αναγνώστη, αλλά αντικειμενικά ο λυρισμός του Όκρι (που είναι και ποιητής) δεν είναι υπερβολικός, δεν κουράζει. Μου πήρε βέβαια και μένα πολλές μέρες για να το τελειώσω και γι' αυτό ήμουν σε φάση να το αφήσω στα τρία αστέρια, γενικά όμως δεν διαβάζω γρήγορα και θεωρώ ότι θα το αδικούσα.
October 28, 2018
Haahuilin kolmen ja neljän tähden välillä, vaikka aluksi meinasin antaa vain kaksi. Vaikka aloin lukea teosta avoimin mielin, kulku alkoi tahmata jo ensi sivuilla. Aivan ensimmäiseksi turhauduin vahvasti Okrin yksinkertaiseen, toistelevaan kieleen, joka paikoitellen totesi liian banaalisti, välillä taas harhautui teennäisen tuntuisiin filosofisiin pohdintoihin.
Kuitenkin, jos kielen tönköt vivahteet pystyi ohittamaan, avautui niiden takaa traaginen ja vaikuttava kuvaus Nigeriasta ja maailmasta, joka on hyvinvointivaltiossa kasvaneelle absurdi ja vieras, suorastaan niin vieras, että itseä on lukemisen aikana muistuteltava siitä, ettei tarina ole tuulesta temmattu vaan kuvaa maan tilaa realistisesti. Lopulta juuri tämä, ihmisten eriarvoisuuden, selviytymistaistelun ja sekasortoisen, korruptoituneen yhteiskunnan kuvaus teki tästä romaanista sittenkin lukemisen arvoisen.
Kuitenkin, jos kielen tönköt vivahteet pystyi ohittamaan, avautui niiden takaa traaginen ja vaikuttava kuvaus Nigeriasta ja maailmasta, joka on hyvinvointivaltiossa kasvaneelle absurdi ja vieras, suorastaan niin vieras, että itseä on lukemisen aikana muistuteltava siitä, ettei tarina ole tuulesta temmattu vaan kuvaa maan tilaa realistisesti. Lopulta juuri tämä, ihmisten eriarvoisuuden, selviytymistaistelun ja sekasortoisen, korruptoituneen yhteiskunnan kuvaus teki tästä romaanista sittenkin lukemisen arvoisen.
July 11, 2018
I was pretty excited for this book as I had enjoyed Ben Okri's previous novel -- I was so disappointed! The story itself is not bad. There are many poetic and beautifully written parts to the book. It demands that you take your time to process and consider the deeper meaning of things, which is not a problem.
However, I began to get frustrated when at certain points, the story was at a stand-still. What could have been a potent, short story became drawn out. I lost interest towards the middle. I was confused about the concept of time and found the narrator unreliable. It became hard to be patient and I began skimming page after page just to keep the plot moving. All in all, it was a struggle to finish the book. This one just wasn't for me!
However, I began to get frustrated when at certain points, the story was at a stand-still. What could have been a potent, short story became drawn out. I lost interest towards the middle. I was confused about the concept of time and found the narrator unreliable. It became hard to be patient and I began skimming page after page just to keep the plot moving. All in all, it was a struggle to finish the book. This one just wasn't for me!
March 19, 2023
Dangerous love is a novel about a young man name Omovo, his family dynamics & love affair with a married woman named ifeyiwa. The relationship with both dynamics was both dangerous and treacherous. However, Omovo still found solace in painting and his love for Ifeyiwa. I love how Omovo was passionate about painting which seems to have liberated him. His love for painting became an escape from his reality, much like my love for reading. It's a profound passion that allows me to become engulfed in an author's world.
May 7, 2024
The story takes you ill-faithed end of young lovers and as expected the girl is doomed and boy lives to suffer her loss. Ben Okri is a great writer but this is not a book to read to unwind after a busy day. The events unfolds in the backround is brutal enough and we witness violance in every relationship whether it's between father and son, wife and husband or neighbours. Reading the book knowing this is not a fiction but reality itself makes it even harder to finish the book. But this doesn't change the fact Ben Okri crafted a beautiful novel, just to bitter to swallow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2025
"ugliness is the face we always turn away from"
good lord where do I begin. the premise of this novel quoting Rilke, i have never been so invested in a fiction like this in so long. it is a beautiful love story that is never completed and yet even in its remains, there is a sense of preservation or its essence. Omovo and Ifeyiwa, found love as a relief, through such beautiful tenderness aaaah and the prose is excelllent.
good lord where do I begin. the premise of this novel quoting Rilke, i have never been so invested in a fiction like this in so long. it is a beautiful love story that is never completed and yet even in its remains, there is a sense of preservation or its essence. Omovo and Ifeyiwa, found love as a relief, through such beautiful tenderness aaaah and the prose is excelllent.
November 30, 2025
I read The Famished Road years ago and loved it, so was excited to try another book by this author. But I just couldn't get into it. The book is set in Nigeria and I couldn't 'see' the location or imagine the characters. Normally I persevere with a book, but on this occasion I abandoned it after a few pages.
December 8, 2021
From the opening sentence, I was transfixed by and totally immersed in Ben Okri’s incredibly evocative writing. Many sentences are stand alone gems and many paragraphs are whole essays in themselves. I am so THRILLED to have finally discovered this write of such breathtakingly vivid prose.
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