Love in Colour: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold

By Eniola Olatunji

Author: Bolu Babalola
Year Published: 2020

"Love in Colour" is a compilation of thirteen short stories, including three categorized as New Tales: Tiara, Orin, and Alagomeji. The book's title distinctly signifies that each narrative in this collection revolves around the theme of love. This central aspect is overtly acknowledged, with the author's dedication of the book to the significant loves in her life.

“To my parents, who taught me love,
To my God, who is love,
To my love.”

What adds to the intrigue is that most of the titles stem from names of gods, goddesses, and fictional/mythical entities. For example, Osun is a goddess of fertility in the Yoruba tribe. Scheherazade is a female character in the popular Middle Eastern Collection of Tales known as “One Thousand and One Nights”. Psyche is the Greek goddess of the soul, while Nefertiti was the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten.

A distinctive aspect of this collection is the author's attempt to engage a diverse audience by employing characters from various regions. A Yoruba individual would resonate more with the book upon encountering "Osun". An Arabian reader would feel a stronger connection through "Scheherazade", and an Egyptian would form a bond while reading "Nefertiti".

Out of the thirteen stories, I found certain ones more enjoyable than others. Stories like "Osun" and "Psyche" are my favorites, unlike "Attem" and "Yaa". A significant factor influencing my preference was the plot's development in each narrative. Some stories felt rushed. It appeared as though the author was striving to meet a certain quantity of stories in the collection. At times, the author explicitly told who the characters were instead of showing their essence. This aspect diminished the enjoyment of the book for me.

Furthermore, I encountered difficulty in envisioning the characters in the human form that Bolu Babalola portrayed. For instance, in "Psyche", the goddess Hera was depicted as merely the head of a fashion/beauty organization with a cheerful persona. This portrayal sharply contrasted with the Hera who invoked fear in Zeus himself and played a role in the Trojan War. The transformation felt excessively abrupt and pronounced.

Despite these aspects, I still found the book enjoyable because it evoked my emotions during the reading. It succinctly and beautifully explored the theme of love. "Love in Colour" is one of the rare romantic works that genuinely delves into love from multifaceted perspectives. At times, I pondered whether these stories were adaptations of romantic relationships the author had personally experienced or learned about. Amidst the thirteen stories, there is a potential for one to deeply resonate with a reader's own love life. This prompted me to wonder about the motivation behind the author's creation of this collection.

I would assign a rating of 7/10 to this book. As a debut novel, I extend my commendation to Bolu Babalola. To her, I would offer the advice, "Let the singles breathe!"