Lagos Noir

Abstract

quiet and fearful as the military remains a constant and aggressive presence. Varas’s investigation leads him into a literal underworld beneath the town. He encounters a mysterious woman named Valentina inside the mucky tunnels and brings her back to the surface with questions he is not sure he wants the answers to. He learns of five blind men who seem otherworldly and powerful. As he investigates further, a story of terror unfolds. Poso Wells is a perfect complement for the current political state of the United States and the hopelessness caused by constant access to terrible news via social media. The story speaks to the delusion and god complex involved in wanting to lead an entire nation and the destructive power of indifference and greed. It also touches on the silence behind the pervasive violence women encounter in their daily lives. Alemán has created a disturbing, absurd, at times heart-wrenching story about the atrocities committed by patriarchs in power and the difficulty in fighting against colonialism. If anything, Poso Wells is a book about perseverance and resilience. It speaks to the fight human beings have inside them when they feel powerless. Their power is in protesting historical, structural violence and existence as resistance. Rios de la Luz El Paso, Texas Lagos Noir Ed. Chris Abani. New York. Akashic Books. 2018. 217 pages. In the nearly fifteen years since Akashic Books premiered its Noir anthology, the short-fiction series has examined the criminal and often perilous reality of the most densely populated regions around the world. Continuing its trend of illuminating local literary giants and conjuring an almost mythological sense of mystery, Lagos Noir is a striking collection of prose birthed from Nigeria’s largest city. Partitioned into three movements focused on crime, family turmoil, and migration, respectively , the text rarely stutters with the thematic corners it explores. The curation shines in blending starkly different voices as each sequential episode dovetails into the next with ease. For instance, the first part, “Cops and Robbers ,” begins with a tale of police corruption, framing concepts like extortion and brutality, so the following works require little elaboration . The final part, “Arrivals and Departures,” is a bit less fluid in this fashion but still justified in its independence nonetheless. Covering one of the widest spectrums of genre-inspired stories, Chris Abani is as masterful as he is meticulous in his assembly of noir. Whereas Chicka Unigwe’s “Heaven’s Gate” details the plight of a young up-and-comer struggling to survive in Lagos’s often apathetic streets, Wale Lawal ’s “Joy” examines the dark considerations and resolve spurred from postpartum terror . Moments of action, contemplation, and dark humor yield a flavorful vision of the collection’s titular locale. A few installments are clear standouts, but their placement does little to sabotage the weight of neighboring entries. Among the strongest, A. Igoni Barrett’s “Just Ignore and Try to Endure” tethers an unending plague of vermin with the plight of advancing one’s station in a graceful yet grotesque manner. ‘Pemi Aguda’s “Choir Boy,” on the other hand, is an abrasive chronicle of human trauma and the development of apathy in the face of violence. Though the deliberation is a bit unclear, the seemingly immortal and eponymous figure of Nnedi Okorafor’s “Showlogo” is oddly yet comically placed behind Unigwe’s tragic “Heaven’s Gate.” The mingling of myth with reality and the subtle connections between each narrative are the strongest indicators of text’s power as an anthology. Lagos Noir is a colorful and harrowing vision preserving the distinct voice of each contributor contained within its pages. The collection carries a moving and self-contained quality while simultaneously sparking hope that the Noir series will eventually forge its way into further explorations of Africa. Daniel Bokemper Oklahoma City World Literature in Review 78 WLT SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2018 ...