LOVE IN PANDEMONIUM

Aghanya’s novel follows four classmates over two decades starting from their high school days in an unnamed African country to later, after they’ve all separately moved to London.

The story focuses on four major characters: Meskapon, who’s inspired by a family tragedy, which leads him to become involved in a scientific breakthrough; Nnamdi, “a promiscuous son of a bitch” whose difficulties take him down a dangerous path; Nkechi, who undergoes a trauma during her time as an aspiring singer/songwriter that spurs her to activism; and attractive and popular Amaka, who comes from a powerful but troubled family. Additional narratives follow the country’s president and the school’s principal, both of whom remain unnamed. Two of the main characters reach dizzying heights of success in the United Kingdom, while the other two face many hardships, leading to dire situations. Aghanya’s exploration of the different paths they take is compelling; their motivations also feel genuine, even if they’re stated too directly at times. The shift to 20 years later in London comes late in the book and provides a very broad overview of the four characters’ new lives, while the first half is granular in its day-to-day narrative; this approach gives the story a disjointed feel overall. The novel also spends a great deal of time on the backstories of secondary characters, often without much purpose; most aren’t named, and identifiers such as “Amaka’s hubby-to-be” quickly feel clunky and repetitive. Many word choices feel unwieldy, as well; characters are almost always “elated” rather than happy, and they “quiz” instead of ask, “stipulate” instead of state, and “elucidate” rather than explain. Still, the author does, through his characters’ experiences, offer some perceptive insights into issues of tribalism, colonialism, and racism, as well as addressing cultural and political issues in Africa and the U.K.

An expansive novel with interesting characters and pacing issues written with an overreliance on the thesaurus.