Wahala: A Novel

‘Three’s company. Four’s a crowd’ - ‘Wahala’ by Nikki May. Wahala is a Yoruba word meaning trouble and in this lively comedy-drama wahala walks into the lives of Ronke, Simi, and Boo, three Nigerian-British friends living in London. They have all experienced racism in their day-to-day lives though haven’t allowed it to hold them back. Now in their thirties, they each face new questions about their futures. Ronke is keen to settle down though insists any potential husband be Nigerian; Boo is finding marriage and motherhood a strain; while Simi, working in high fashion, is frustrated by her boss constantly referring to her 'urban vibe'. Then Isobel, a glamorous friend from Simi’s past, arrives in town and quickly inserts herself into the women’s lives. It’s not long until she’s creating waves and even if the friends are unaware, it’s clear to the reader that she’s trouble with a capital W. Still, no further details to avoid spoilers. ‘Wahala’ celebrates the fusion of British and Nigerian cultures in relation to its protagonists’ lives. I found this a highly engaging novel that is a brilliant exploration of friendship. Of the women, Ronke was my favourite though someone needed to sit her down and talk to her about body image. Being Size 12 is not ‘huge’! I felt that ‘Wahala’ was wonderful. It is funny and heartwarming in places, poignant in others, and also delivers on plenty of tension, mostly through witnessing Isobel’s machinations, and some twists. In its opening chapter, titled ‘Aftermath’, Nikki May is very clever in planting a number of clues before moving back in time four months to chart the journey to those events. Each subsequent chapter cycles through the viewpoints of Ronke, Boo, and Simi. May finishes with a few recipes that had featured in the novel. There has been a great deal of prepublication buzz about this debut novel and I felt that it was definitely warranted. Given my positive experience, I feel that it is likely to prove popular with book groups as it is well written, readable, and provides plenty of opportunities for discussion on its themes. Very highly recommended.

Wasn’t too bad. But it could’ve had a better ending and storyline.

For some reason I missed it in the description that it the main characters were mixed race girls of Nigerian heritage. I am not mixed race but I think it’s a book for all races and I enjoyed it thoroughly. A great read! Easy flow and the right mix of drama, real life issues and suspense. Good job!

The premise of this book was promising, leading me to purchase the book after reading a sample. The little clues that were dropped of what was really going on was intriguing. But after a while, it was really frustrating to watch the three friends turn on each other and allow this intruder to tear apart their lives, and difficult to continue reading. Still, I held out promise for the ending, but was really disappointed. I agree with another reviewer in that the way Nigerian men were spoken about was so negative that it may have me questioning those I see. That's not good. Ronke was my favorite character and I'd read another book with her in it, since her ending storyline was so rushed. Also, it would have been nice to have a little glossary at the end, as some of the Nigerian words were not translated.

I feel.like this book was well written. It wasn't rushed. It was a slow boil but it definitely ended in a hard boil. I also love learning about other cultures so this was fun for me too in that aspect.