Book Review: Wahala by Nikki May

By Nnachetam Calista Chinonye

Wahala by debut author Nikki May, will have you glued to your seat, smitten with all the girl drama between three women in their middle thirties. The novel, a story about identity and belonging, sheds light on themes of friendship, motherhood, sexuality and wifehood. The African word ‘wahala’ means trouble and that is exactly what happens when three Anglo-Nigerian best friends in their 30s add a fourth woman to the group. 

Simi, Boo, and Ronke are longtime friends who bonded over their mixed-race heritage and are currently living in London. They live their lives to the fullest and have each other’s backs. Boo is married to a cheerful husband and they both have a daughter, Simi is also married but her husband lives in New York and then there is Ronke, whose boyfriend is inconsistent and never committed. 

Isobel, Simi’s childhood friend appears out of the blue and inserts herself in the group. She attracts scandals, gossips, and destruction. Soon, things begin to go sideways–the friendship of the other women slowly begin to crumble, they begin keeping secrets from each other, but somehow manage to make Isobel their new confidante.

Simi confides in Isobel, pouring out her feelings about the big secret she’s keeping from her husband and how she struggles with imposter syndrome at work.
Boo, on the other hand, who is living the life Ronke wishes for, confides in Isobel the reason why she is unhappy in her home.
Ronke adores her Nigerian heritage and craves for domestic bliss. She is the only one who is not fully satisfied with Isobel’s presence in their lives.

Parenthood is one of the themes of the book. Each woman’s relationship with her father is multifaceted, including the ones who died or could not stick around. This novel is devoid of certain themes that most West African writers are used to such as themes of poverty, and traumatization. The women here are all financially stable, are ambitious and have very supportive husbands.

Although the book relied a bit heavily on miscommunication, I could hardly wait to know what the next page entailed as we found out very interesting facts about Isobel and her relationship with Boo. I really was lost for words at the jaw-dropping end. 

There is really no surprise that it's been commissioned by the BBC and is being adapted into a major prime-time 6-part TV series that will be distributed worldwide.