Poignant and honest…
Akinyemi’s first collection of short stories dazzles with elegant prose, genuine emotions, and Nigerian cultural lore as it plumbs both the socio-cultural issues and the depths of love, loss, grief, and personal trauma. Spontaneous and sharp “Black lives Matter” explores racism as the gifted footballer protagonist tries his luck in European leagues and realizes that as a man of color, he must examine his own role in taking a stand against racism. Depicting both the societal challenges and the unspoken truths and burdens that the protagonist has to bear in the title story “Inferno of Silence,” Akinyemi examines the fine line that separates feminism from extremism. The serial womanizer in “Return Journey” confronts his own wrong choices but not before the time runs out for him. In “Trouble in Umudike,” Akinyemi explores family ties, relationships, guilt, grief, revenge, and redemption. In “Everybody don Kolomental,” Akinyemi examines the stigma associated with mental health issues through his protagonist’s story of dealing with depression, emphasizing the need for acceptance, respect, and equitable treatment of people with mental health problems. “In the Trap of Seers” is a young woman’s journey (who is forced to go through prejudice and unfair treatment because of her gender) from extreme ordeal to redemption as she fights her way through old, pointless superstitions. In “Blinded by silence” a woman meets the same fate as her mother after political disquiet changes her husband’s fortune. Candid and evocative, Akinyemi’s collection examine both the socio-economic issues and the complex theme of personal dilemma. Lovers of literary fiction will be rewarded.
Inferno of Silence
By Tolu’ A. Akinyemi
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Pub date May 7, 2020
ASIN B088D1WLMD
Price $4.11 (USD) Kindle edition, $9.99 Paperback
