The Nigerian Mafia: Mumbai by Onyeka Nwelue
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ISBN: 978-1739276775
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Published by: Abibiman Publishing U.K.
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Year of publishing: 2023
Book Blurb
Like a flash, Periwinkle appears in his
life and changes everything. Tired of living in a pigsty, Efemena wants to live
a life of independence, but there is more to being a Nigerian in Mumbai - a
constant escape from the Indian police and narcotics agents.
This novel is a tale of violence, drugs,
human trafficking, murder, and sex. www.bookbot.in
About
the Author
Onyeka Nwelue, born in 1988,
is a Nigerian scholar who has had esteemed positions in academia in African
studies at two of the world’s most prestigious universities, the University of
Oxford and the University of Cambridge. www.bookbot.in
His crime fiction, “The Nigerian Mafia: Mumbai,” is the first
installment in a 10-book series, which has gone on to be longlisted for the
2023 Chinua Achebe Prize and shortlisted for the 2023 ANA Prose Prize. It’s
being developed for film by Indian filmmaker, Ramesh Raparthy.
Social Media Links
Website | Twitter
| Instagram
Book Links
Amazon India | Goodreads
| Amazon US| Amazon UK | Waterstones |
Abe Books | Amazon AU | Bookshop
Praise for Onyeka Nwelue
Described by Sri P. T. Narendra Menon as
"one of Africa’s youngest writers," Onyeka Nwelue's unique writing
style and brilliance have earned him critical acclaim. With over 20
award-winning books to his name, Nwelue stands as one of Africa's most prolific
and promising writers.
Praise for the book www.bookbot.in
“An unusual noir thriller
and worth a look for those interested in seeking crime tales based in other
countries.” -Run Along The Shelves
“The Nigerian Mafia:
Mumbai, was an interesting portrait of an expat group of Nigerians abroad!” -
Annabel
Accolades
• The Nigerian Mafia: Mumbai has been longlisted
for the 2023 Ana Chinhua Achebe Prize.
• It is also shortlisted
for the 2023 Ana Prose Prize.
• The Nigerian Mafia Mumbai is being developed for film by
Indian filmmaker, Ramesh Raparthy
My Review:
I live in an area in Mumbai, wherein there is a
predominating Nigerian community, which has been constantly increasing for the
past couple of years (My area is also mentioned in the book if anyone wants to
take a guess). Sometimes when I come across Nigerians, I look at the ladies in
awe; for their physique, their braided hairstyle, the way they speak Hindi,
their heavy and strange voice, or the way they walk without giving a damn to
the stares they get. Whereas, whenever the men pass by, a strange kind of fear
strikes my mind, don’t know why. Is it their voice, their tall and dark
features? But, after I read “The Nigerian Mafia - Mumbai” I feel for them, for
the mistreatment they must have met, for being misunderstood, and for their
hardships.
Coming to the story, “The
Nigerian Mafia – Mumbai” by Onyeka Nwelue is the story of Uche, a well-known
child actor in Nigeria. He comes to Mumbai to buy fabrics which he plans to
sell back in his hometown and make some money. But as fate intervenes, he ends
up selling drugs and getting trapped in the underworld.
Well, after reading the book,
I got mixed reactions. Neither I liked it very much nor I hated it. (I will
explain the reasons below for the same).
Points I
liked :
I loved the simplicity of the language used. It is
very simple and easy to understand, with no heavy use of language which is a
major plus point of the author. I loved the way the author made a cameo
appearance in the story like a director does in any Bollywood movie that shows
his love for Bollywood. How the author has traced the journey of Uche from his
hometown to Bandra is worth a read. The characters are introduced as and
when the story demands and exits accordingly. Each character plays their role without
cluttering the plot.
I won’t say negative points as they are not but
these points I found a bit hard to understand. If Uche was doing well in his
hometown doing movies, he had earned well and had prospered, then why did he
come to Mumbai to buy fabrics that he could sell after going back?
If you are a Mumbaikar, you will understand my
following point one assaults a movie director (Abhinav), a detective
(Charanjeet Singh), and an FFRO official in Mumbai and, he gets away, without
any action from the system or even making it to headlines, and that too if you
are a Nigerian, this fact is a bit difficult to digest for me as I am a born in
Mumbai.
Having said all the above points I suggest this book
is worth a read. It is an eye opener for all who think Mumbai is a city of
dreams and anyone can become successful and earn money as soon as one lands
here. It is, but the path you take decides your fate.
One must read this book once. Looking forward to reading the remaining parts of Uche’s journey.
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