Despite undergoing weeks of stressful exams I managed to read A Chance on Us in four days, it's one of those books you end up dreaming about out of excitement and anticipation. What first drew me in was the beautiful front cover and the enticing first page where the readers are introduced to Ifeso's current conflict with her flatmates. What I immediately noticed and admired about this novel was how greatly Tumi focuses on the emotional aspect of experiences. I found myself resonating with characters in a way that almost broke the walls of fiction. As Ifeso's pain was narrated I felt there with her, almost sharing in the universal experience of hurt which manifested itself within her life. It was the same emotion just a different shade. You will find this method of connecting readers to character's experiences throughout the whole novel and this is what makes the stories within it so impactful.
What I must also appreciate about this novel is the detail. Characters can be viewed both as microcosms for different groups, ideologies and social issues within society, whilst also maintaining their own distinct individuality. By presenting characters that appear almost allegorical yet still so individual, Tumi immerses us into the world of Nigeria and the different conflicts that manifest within its social and political structures. Issues which we as readers cannot help but take serious note of due to the emotion and turmoil that surrounds them. Every character felt so relevant and intentional, I found myself searching for the writer's message within each face I was presented with. I enjoyed this because Tumi has made her readers feel included in the story, after seeing how relevant Kemi's story was - after initially thinking she would be little more than a supporting character - I found myself paying great attention to characters like Funmi and Richard, anticipating the revelations of their own truths. The depth at which Tumi explores her characters is something to marvel at, let's take Abeni for example.
Abeni, the mother of the protagonist Ifeso, could initially be interpreted as your basic gossiping aunty archetype. The controlling wife and mother who can't help their nosiness and love for conspiracies. Yet Tumi prompts her readers to look further into this character by showing us her upbringing - the brutal physical discipline from her highly religious mother, the failure of her first marriage, the shame of infertility and the grief of a miscarriage. Abeni was no longer a gossiping sceptic, she was a loving mother, devoted wife, and pained soul. We grieve with Abeni as she grieves and we view her flaws as reflections of her past. We are, dare I say, empathetic. The ability to arouse empathy as opposed to sympathy is powerful. This emotion was so intense that I found myself feeling great anger towards the end of the novel where Ricard (a friend of the past) tries to critique Abeni's parenting style. I thought to myself - 'this man knows nothing of her life so how can he speak on it'.
Tumi does not redeem her character's flaws - she explains them, allowing us to take a more sympathetic and understanding approach to them. Segun the father of Ifeso betrays his family in pursuit of the guidance of Victor (a symbol of corrupt aristocracy). Yet Segun's relationship with his own father offers some insight into his potential reasons for admiring Victor - a devotion that reflects unresolved emotions from his childhood. All the character's presented to us are more than our initial perceptions and expectations. Tumi encourages us to look deeper into the behaviours we are presented with and see how the roles we play in our own homes and society influence more than we think.
This novel forces you to think deeply about your own life, relationships and loyalties. I began to question the ways in which I have forsaken my family and morals in pursuit of something greater. I began to question the ways in which I've been selfish and ignorant. The reality is that within our world there is a cycle of corruption and injustice, one that is constantly creating new victims, a cycle which the law fails to unmask. The hope, or rather the chance that things will change, is placed on us. On those who are willing to take a chance on us.
What I love about this book is that it is a true story, it presents its readers with distasteful truths and immense grief. I constantly found myself highlighting quotes from the book - quotes that resonate so greatly with the human experience and the experiences of a nation. Two entities inextricably linked. I'll share some of my favourite quotes from the novel with you:
no one could hurt or leave her because she would never let them
Friends who did not disagree with each other, or quarrel were merely polite strangers
Segun had concluded that men could not say they did not 'like' other men. Instead they recognised the uneasy feelings where dislike or envy lingered, as a general lack of trust
There is a second death that comes in mourning, the loss of loyalties
Character so soiled that it lost all humanity
In grief, in pain, it's hard to know what to say, or how to say it, but humanity knows and friendship more so, that doing nothing at all bears an affliction of its own
