Book Review : The Whispering Trees by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim

By Lenient Amidu

The Whispering Trees, written by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, is a collection of twelve short stories rich in enchantment and folklore. Ibrahim deftly covers numerous topics, including reincarnation, love, marriage, loss, betrayal, desire, brotherhood, and abuse.

The book begins with the story of a man whose life is disrupted by the appearance of a girl announced by butterflies who may be his deceased mother resurrected. Twilight & Mist is an apt title for this story. This story establishes the tone for the remainder of the book.

Both Baba Idi's Enclave and The Cat-eyed English Witch deal with bereavement, family, and difficult choices.

The title story, The Whispering Trees, follows with a beautiful and heartbreaking depiction of a young medical student, Salim, who has lost his sight, his mother, and the one lady he loves. 
Salim eventually realizes that "sometimes you see better with your eyes closed."

What is the best way for a child to tell his mother that he murdered his violent father?
Dear Mother, the sixth story, deftly introduces us to a young man who may never understand what it is like to be loved.

Sadiya and her husband are the victims of a horrible trick in the next story, One Fine Morning.

Until the end of the collection, the characters are trapped in situations over which they have little influence, as is sometimes the case in real life. Each story is an unanswered question, a challenge to the reader to read between the lines.
Another interesting aspect of the book is that the title of each story provides you a hint as to how it will end. Each character is doomed by a tragic self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Whispering Trees was shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing 2013 and Longlisted for the Etisalat Prize for Prose 2014.