The Returnees EXPORT

by Elizabeth Okoh

After a bad break up, 25-year-old Osayuki Idahosa leaves behind everything she holds dear in London to return to Lagos, a country she hasn't set foot in for many years. Drawn by the transformations happening in the fashion industry in the city, she accepts a job at House of Martha as their Head of PR. While waiting at Milan airport for her connecting flight to Lagos, she meets Cynthia Okoye and Kian Bajo, a wanna-be Afrobeat star. After the plane lands at the Lagos airport, they all go their separate ways but their lives will intertwine again and change the course of Osayuki's life forever.

Genres: Fiction, Nigeria

Paperback

First published August 6, 2020

Reviews

[diamond · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I hadn't waited a few months for my preorder of this paperback to come. Honestly it's my worst book buy and that's saying something as all the books I buy are pretty great. This one? Boring, fluffed with a unnecessary explanations, characters that have no individual voice and are all one dimensional. It really is the worst thing I've read and I'll be giving this copy out (for free, donated to my neighbourhood library) because I really can't keep this in my library with how terrible it it.

My advice? Don't bother.

[Wyna Modisapodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was refreshing to read about the struggles and challenges of Nigerian returnees ,which are most times glossed over or glamorized . The book has huge potential, however , it failed to hit the right spot for me . I particularly found that the stitching of the 3 perspectives of the main characters wasn’t deftly executed . Kian’s perspective was just haphazard and lacked heft . At the beginning of the book I found Cynthia and Osayuki spoke with the same voice and didn’t have a distinguishing tone . I also found some of the comparison between Lagos and London unsavory and unpalatable for me .

[Onome · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a whole month to finish this. I don't think this author wrote this book for a Nigerian audience because trying to explain Nigeria to Nigerians all the time was exhausting...

There was really no plot in this book because we just follow the characters as they carry out daily activities. I just didn't want to add to my list of DNFs but it just wasn't for me. 😩

[Rasheedat · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is not a bad read but it could have been wayyyy better. We didn't get to know why Kian died or what effect that had to the story line. Had to skip loads of pages here and there cus they seemed unnecessary. It reads like a badly written wattpad story in some parts.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im still unsure whether i like or dislike this book.

[Amaka Azie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Hmmm…
Not sure how to review this.
So much potential.
The title for one… I imagined a beautiful fictional ride…
The Cover… This was a one-click buy for me.
But…
Still can’t really say what the story was about.
Maybe just to let Nigerians in diaspora know what living in Nigeria is like?
Not sure 🤔
It didn’t do it for me.
Will give it to my daughters to read when they grow older.
Maybe they’ll feel differently

[Dominika · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nej, bara nej! (1.5)

[Madeline Wilson-Ojo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is literally my favourite category of literature! Epic African drama with a British accent! It contains sassy, stylish women, a girly friendship, a tall dark heartthrob, high flying careers, steamy romance, a sprinkle of heartbreak, a big fall out, and lots of wahala! It’s why I enjoyed Imperfect Arrangements so much and now why I somewhat enjoyed The Returnees.



Osayuki, Cynthia and Kian are three young Londoners, who for different reasons pack up their lives in London to pursue a new journey in Lagos, Nigeria.

Osayuki has just experienced heartbreak and is leaving London for Lagos to begin a fresh new chapter –  which includes a new job. Cynthia on the other hand has been ordered by her parents, against her will, to quit her comfortable British life in order to complete her youth service in Nigeria. (Much like the UK’s NCS). Then there’s Kian who has decided to take a chance on Nigeria in the hopes of becoming the country’s next biggest superstar.

The three are unknown to each other until  –  that is they coincidentally bump into one another at the airport, just before they all board their Lagos bound plane.
 

“I realised that we were both on a journey, one that each of us didn’t have a detailed map of.”

The story is split into three different narrations as we follow each character’s journey as they grapple with careers, love, meeting new people and identity, all while settling into their new lives. What we do discover from the jump is that the three paths cross. The first chapter is a flash-forward. The backdrop is a warm evening in Lagos and we are thrust into the flashy, elegant folds of a naming ceremony to celebrate the arrival of Osayuki’s daughter. Guests are in tow, the caterers are serving delicious food and drinks are flowing like a fountain, and the baby’s grandmothers are proudly basking in their new status. Osayuki and Cynthia who have become good friends are looking gorgeous in their silk and lace, whilst the former cradles her week old baby. Yet she cannot enjoy herself.  In fact, something is weighing very heavily on her mind.

Can you guess what the problem is?

Anyway, after a small allusion to what is eating away at Osayuki, we then travel backwards in time to where the story begins. Starting with Osayuki’s voice.
 
Culture, identity, self-discovery
As with all books of this category, culture, identity and self-discovery feature heavily. All three characters grapple with these themes majorly, for example, Osayuki discovers how rife colourism is in Nigeria especially where it pertains to finding a job (and a man), Cynthia realises how her British accent automatically inflates the prices of everything and Kian struggles to stay optimistic about his career as doing business in Nigeria is more frustrating than he ever imagined it would be.

There are times when the writing is condescending towards life in Nigeria, for example, Cynthia’s language when describing her experience at the NYSC camp is less than complimentary and I just wish the author would have used the voices of the other characters in the camp to challenge those thoughts. I came to discover that her opinions on Nigeria tend to fluctuate between high and low depending on the mood she’s in.


“I was grateful for its beauty no matter how rare, and the optimism of the people. That night, I couldn’t have imagined being anywhere else than in Lagos.”

I wonder if she would have had this thought process had she stayed outside of Lagos. I was also irritated that Cynthia was able to use her privilege to leapfrog her way into what she perceived to be an advantage over everyone else. But I guess that’s the art imitating reality right?


It seems like I’m being hard on Cynthia but she’s actually my favourite character. I guess it’s because I relate more to her for various reasons (Black Brit, body hang-ups, the love of make up and fashion etc.). I am also enjoying the exciting and hot romance between Osayuki and her love interest Afolabi. I would definitely like to see this book translated to the big screen. It’s giving Beverly Naya, Efa Iwara and Bisola Aiyeola. Fellow Nollywood fans I am sure you’ll agree.

The Returnees is a book I would recommend to anyone who is into girly drama with a twist of culture. I am enjoying the ride so far however, if I could sit down with Elizabeth Okoh I would ask her why Cynthia’s and Osakuyi’s stories are written in the first person whereas Kian’s is in the third. But that’s just a small detail.

To my fellow African diaspora peeps who have visited their home country before- you’ll definitely see yourself within the pages of this book.
I would give The Returnees a good 3/5 stars.

[seunreads_ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to DNF the book after reading 100pages out of a 200+ book and just not getting into the plot. The numerous pages and chapters spent on talking about NYSC was really unnecessary.

[Jessica]

Elizabeth Okoh's debut novel, following three characters as they return to Lagos, Nigeria is the book for summer. Using her three protagonists, Okoh delves into friendship, identity and sharp contrast between rich and poor in Nigeria.

Osayuki Isahosa is running away from London and a broken heart as she heads for a new Head of PR for a fashion brand in Lagos. While waiting for her connecting flight, she meets Cynthia is doesn't really want to go to Nigeria but her parents want her to do a year's service and find a purpose rather than being pampered in the UK and they also meet Kian, full of confidence and assurance that he is about to become the biggest Afrobeats star you could imagine in Nigeria.

They all go their separate ways once they land, each experiencing different sides of Lagos - Osayuki has a driver to take her to glamorous parties and to the office, Cynthia must start her training in a camp before she is assigned a teaching job and Kian starts to realise that to get anywhere he needs to bribe people and sleep in a cramped flat with his cousin but slowly their lives start to intertwine.

The Returnees is a coming of age story where our three characters face unexpected love, finding a purpose down an unexpected route, and a new determination that will reshape their lives. Even though their parents are not in the same country, they are still tied to their families and tradition and Okoh explores this push and pull against expectation and wanting to have your own defined direction.

Okoh makes sure that you can't walk away from these characters and their lives by creating vivid characters who have to face twists and turns but makes sure that there are fantastic descriptions of the clothes, food and the locations. If you're looking to know more about a culture that you don't know much about then this book really pulls you into the life of Lagos and shows you not only the high light of boat parties and fashion shows but also the markets where you haggle for hair treatments and food.

This is a great read for the summer then you need to read this book. You can buy The Returnees from your favourite bookshop.


I was sent an ebook version via Netgalley.

[N E E K S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars because I think it was a good read, I read it in 2 days so it’s fair to say I enjoyed it. However, if possible I may have given the book 3.5 stars mostly because I thought the characters would of had balanced weight, it was predominantly Osayuki and Cynthia. Kian almost seemed like a side character although we know his significance. This also made me wonder why the perspectives had to be chopped so quick if one characters perspective was consecutively predominant (you’ll get what I mean if you read the book), might as well have the perspectives in chunks, but maybe that’s what made it a nice quick easy read. Either way I’ll stick with 4 stars not because it was mind blowing (it didn’t need to be) but because it’s a good comfort read that I could easily read again. Also, because I liked the context of different characters starting a life in Lagos it was really nice.
Maybe I would like a sequel - I want to know what happened to Kian and I want to see what Cynthia does in London now that she has a career goal and direction, and maybe I want to see if either Osayuki or Fola bring up the condom situation. At the same time, I’m happy for it to be a mystery as I think Kian’s story should of had more space in this book so maybe a sequel wouldn’t work, but for Cynthia it probably could work. If this book became a series I would easily watch it.

[Sy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how the book was split into a different chapter for each character. They all came from a first-person narrative. However, I felt that Kian's chapters were the weakest. They were surface level and basic fillers. Things would come up that I’d be interested in knowing more about, but it would be glazed over and then on to the next. The one thing I took away from his chapter was room for reflection. Thinking about the pressure someone like Kian must have felt to become successful. To keep up pretences in the name of dignity.

Having Nigerian heritage and *peeps out* having never visited Nigeria before I especially loved being able to visualise the cities of Lagos and Abuja. The details of nightlife, Victoria Island, and the markets I really soaked up. I’ve come across a few people who have returned to Nigeria and are really winning out there so the book’s plot was timely and 100% filled a gap. It’s not hard to hear stories about people coming to England for better opportunities, but I’m proper happy that I’m being exposed to a rising number of stories of people from the African diaspora going back to their motherlands to live their best life. I’m all the way here for it.


Full Review available at my website: https://www.frizzandgo.com/blog/there...

[Lady Tamakloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one book that i nearly didn’t read due to conflicting reviews out here on Bookstagram as well as Good reads.
The author writes in 3 voices ie Osayuki, Cynthia and Kian.
The novel was set in London and Nigeria .
Starting out I couldn’t differentiate between Osayuki and Cynthia’s voice. I had to go back and forth to help me get it .
Also, Kian’s was a mess and wasn’t well developed at all. I struggled to see how he fit in the story.
Another thing was there were a lot of irrelevant information that were mentioned which was uncalled for.
But regardless I did enjoy some portions of the book and in the end I could put the pieces together to get the picture.
I totally get why someone will DNF or won’t know whether they liked this book or not after reading it.

Four thing I will like to share from the book:
1.The decisions we make each day is very vital and hence shouldn’t be taken lightly else we might regret it tomorrow but by then the harm will have been done.

2.They say love is blind but sometimes let’s involve the mind in issues relating to the heart.

3.It’s okay if you don’t have a laid down plan or a well figured out life, in the end everything will fall in place and you will find your way.

4.It’s always good to move out of your comfort zone.
I like how Cynthia got to have a new perspective on life after her stay in Nigeria.
Also I’m glad everything got better for Osayuki but as usual Kian’s life was short lived.

“Love is rich
Love is warm
Love will make you do incredibly stupid things”.

“I realized that we were both on a journey, one that each of us didn’t have a detailed map of, but a journey nonetheless, and that we might not have embarked on if not for our move to Lagos.”

“She lived in a society that was unkind to an unwed woman over twenty-five.”

[Tilly Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun, vibrant read - full of wonderfully confident and bold characters that were a joy to spend time with!
The story is narrated by three Nigerian characters who all meet on a flight from London to Lagos for different reasons - Osayuki has fled heartbreak to start a new career, Cynthia has been forced into service by her parents in the hope she will find purpose, and Kian is hoping to become the next big thing on the music scene. What follows is a year in which their lives all move in different directions but stay connected nonetheless.
I loved the two strong female characters but found the story of Kian fairly dull so was very glad that there wasn’t too much of a focus on him. The descriptions of the clothes, food and music had me wishing I was there - everything just sounded so exotic and glamorous! This was just a really joyful and colourful read - loved it and can’t wait to see what Okoh does next.

[Natasha den Dekker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This definitely sounded better on the tin than when you actually read it.

I love a book about navigating immigrant identity but going the other way BUT this wasn't written very well? And while there were some really nice passages about Lagos (probably the best character in the book tbh) the characters felt fairly one-dimensional. No issue with them being entitled or boderline annoying (it's about people in their early 20s) but more that they were almost stereotypes of that age group which didn't sit quite right. One character is 25 but heading up a PR team - nah c'mon? In Fashion? please. Cynthia was probably the most realistic character - but even her attitude was super shallow.

The twist at the end was a bit..eh?! Like just dropped in there no explanation. You could almost feel the other story happening to Kian and wondering if Fola and Yuki would have a proper conversation about the conception of their baby. Really odd book tbh - sounded better than it was!

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded down.

The returnees tells the story of 3 young people who meet by chance in Milan airport on their way to Lagos to begin new chapters in their lives. We learn how their fortunes change and how their lives intersect after that chance encounter at the start of their new beginnings.

This was a fun easy read, Part love story, part mystery, part cultural exploration. Perfect beach read, Great descriptions of the lavish Lagos life you hear about. If you like soap-opera drama/cliffhangers, you're sure to enjoy this.

[Biggaletta Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book, and a cautionary tale. It has all the drama of Nollywood movie, but I guess I enjoyed it because it felt nostalgic. On the other hand, I felt Kian should have been a chance but he was the cautionary tale, Cynthia had to learn lessons and Osayuki was the black beauty who accepted herself for herself but had issues trusting men. So there is love, heart break, cheating and romance and drama! It's a familiar storyline with an interesting twist. I'm giving it four stars because I enjoyed it rather than anything else, more about personal taste.

[Booksoverbreakfast · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts off in the present day. One of the characters drops a major bomb. And then you’re taken back to a year ago where events that unfold ultimately lead you to the present day.

The book, written in first and third person takes the reader on different (and sometimes educational) journeys as the three returnees rediscover Nigeria.

A fun read with just the right amount of drama, you’ll find yourself gasping out loud at the different plot twists!

[Treasure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great story about new beginnings, finding yourself and living your dreams

The story is so realistic and evolving, and it keep me interested all the way through. Two out of three characters to me were greatly written I believe the third character could had more written about him. I would definitely recommend this book ! Such an educational read for anyone from the diaspora who is looking to return back to their motherland Nigeria

[Uzoamaka · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected a different language from this book, like seeing Nigeria from a newly returned eyes but it didn't read like that. The writing was very descriptive and sometimes lost in the detail rather than the story. Not sure about the open ending as not particularly interested in the 3 main characters/ narrators.

[E Ewia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, centering on three character's dilemmas from the African diaspora who have returned to Nigeria, from family pressures to adjusting to the homeland and the realities around it, to the spread of Western media and it's affect on aspirations of the people and African concepts of beauty.

[Nonde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book! It taught me a lot about the Nigerian culture especially the Igbo traditions - ‘going to the village’ for Christmas and the many experiences or traditions I would never have thought of or imagined! I’m looking forward to researching more about NYSC.

[Raegan Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

VERY slow start. First 60% was a bit of chore to read, but picked up towards the end and became a good book.

[Ojoagedo Yamusa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
It wasn’t like wow this is the best book ever but it’s simpleness was really comforting somehow so I liked it for that reason

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not great writing, but I learned a lot about Nigeria while reading it!

[Ingrid Burniston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it! Nice romance aspect and also liked the way the plot loops back.

[lws 💐 · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF , Great premise !!! Just felt a little repetitive