LAGOON BY NNEDI OKORAFOR

By Lenient Amidu

Do you think aliens are real? What would you do if aliens ever invaded Nigeria?

These questions seem wild and highly imaginative but Nnedi Okorafor brings the answers to these questions to life.

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor is a 320 page sci-fi novel set in Lagos Nigeria, 2010. The book was published in 2014.

The books explores the lives of Adaora, a marine biologist, Agu, a Soldier and Anthony, a Ghanaian rap artist as their realities change when aliens first make contact with earth in the city of Lagos.

The reader is also introduced to mythical characters. Some are well known from African folklore and Okorafor introduces new names like ‘the bone collector’.

The plot is developed in three acts, Welcome, Awakening and Symbiosis.

As the arrival of the alien ambassador, Ayodele and her people disrupt the life of Lagosians, the three protagonists tap into their superhuman abilities too. 

What is peculiarly interesting is how societal issues and realities are plainly displayed. Love, marriage, friendship, greed, deception, religion, the book is a complex of many strong themes.

Nnedi portrays her characters in a way that draws you to them but separates you as well. It almost feels as though the reader is invading the fictional lives of Nnedi’s characters. 

It is a good read! It stimulates your imagination.