THE EDGE OF WATER

A Nigerian woman moves to New Orleans and faces the terror of Hurricane Katrina.

The author, who was born in Maryland and grew up in both Nigeria and the U.S., makes full use of her experiences in telling the story of Esther, a Yoruba mother, and her daughter, Amina. Esther’s marriage and motherhood start with violence, and together mother and daughter weather abuse, divorce, betrayals, gossip, and economic pressure, their struggles punctuated by occasional successes. After winning the visa lottery and settling in the U.S., Amina becomes a single mother herself, and learns that living in the U.S. isn’t an easy path. The story is told via Amina and Esther’s letters to each other, interspersed with narration by Iyanifa, “the conduit of the Oracle of Knowledge.” Iyanifa’s sections add broader historical and spiritual perspective to the story; early on, she shares a prophecy of the tragedies to come. Even with dark predictions hanging overhead, this book is readable and fun—when Amina goes to an internet cafe to work on her visa lottery application, patrons are admonished: “No Naija Prince Email Scams!! Stop Embarrassing Your Nation!!!” The setting and relationships are vividly written, with details that evoke the social and economic pressures of Nigerian life. Each character is given their due, with full portraits of their histories, passions, and desires. The book becomes darker when Amina’s dream comes true—adjustment to life as an immigrant and single mother is hard, and then Hurricane Katrina comes to New Orleans, putting Amina and her daughter in an untenable and dangerous situation. When things change irrevocably, the story feels hopeless, until those who remain start to act on the love they still carry.

A global, multigenerational novel suffused with heart, feeling, devastation, and hope.