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DiDonovan
, January 09, 2015
(view all comments by DiDonovan)
Twisted is inspired by actual events and integrates themes of terrorist plots with romance and a man unwittingly caught in a net of intrigue and shocking revelations about his past - but don't expect your usual thriller format, however. Protagonist author Mofe Esiri's only starting his impossible journey with these revelations: a trip that includes time travel, family ties, a clever killer with international and mafia ties, and more.
At times it feels that Mofe is trapped in so many ways that he will never untangle the twisted web he's spun for himself through his actions and investigations. Nigerean culture permeates the story line, from the blossoming film industry that is 'Nollywood' to the pageantry of rising wealth and the country's blossoming tourist industry. Against this backdrop, Mofe's impossible world emerges; one that evolves from his status as an acclaimed Nigerian writer who lives outside of his country and which follows his unwitting entry into danger after having lived a peaceful life filled with rare (for a Nigerian) literary acclaim.
Expect a story line replete with the ups and downs of success and failure, with some of these elements coming from personal achievement and others stemming from romance. Expect, also, a story filled with intrigue and action; a surreal thriller couched not just in the specter of international intrigue, but the daily challenges of infidelity, oppression, court cases and police activities, and one man's unwitting involvement in a criminal outfit more than capable of murder.
Within such a scenario the seeds of human bonds and relationships are born. Against the threat of violence emerges love. And as the hopes of a man tempted to live out his erotic fantasies becomes inexorably entwined with the world of assassins, he finds himself not just navigating a strange land, but maneuvering through the changes it will introduce to a life seemingly laced with good luck and unprecedented literary success.
Anyone unfamiliar with Nigerian politics and culture will find Twisted a welcome introduction, while those with a degree of knowledge about Africa will find it replete with truths about the state of affairs affecting not only its citizens in-country but the expats who live outside its borders.
It holds all the trappings of mystery, suspense and romance without the usually-Western settings and sentiments that permeate these genres, and it offers both believable and absorbing protagonists with a locale steeped in Africa's rich social and political milieu.
The result will especially please literary-minded readers who enjoy all three genres, but who seek more depth than the usual thriller affords.
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