Babalawo Mo Wa Bebe: A Review of Yewande Omotoso's Bomboy.

Although Bomboy has been heavily criticised for being too fast-paced and "disjointed", I think this book is worth waiting for. Since this work is a transgenerational one written in form of a journal from a father, Oscar to his son, Leke, about a family curse, you'll most likely get confused in the beginning. This novel switches POVs quickly at the beginning without pointing out who is speaking and their connection with the next speaker. I think this was done to sustain and build the climax but it dulls the writing. Towards the middle of the story where you begin to become familiar with the characters- Jane and Marcus Denton (foster parents to Leke), Oscar and Elaine (real parents of Leke), Mama Wole and Oga (great-grandparents of Leke), the story begins to draw you in. Bomboy is a story about Leke, Nigerian and South African kid adopted by a white family. He's a withdrawn and sad young man whose dreams influence his everyday living. Funnily, his mother and father share the same nightmares featuring a bird. While Leke's flies and gets trapped, his mother dreams of birthing a weak wet bird. Leke must escape the world that loss of identity and a loved one and fear have drawn him into. His dreams, we are made to believe are results of a curse. To escape them, he begins to stalk women around, steal from them and find in them the traits of his foster-mother, Jane. This character confuses you but you'll feel pity when you realize he's confused as well. Is this misery and loneliness a result of a curse or, as Tsotso (friend and love interest of Leke) would put it, life in its entirety? In this book we explore dreams and their significance in life and culture as Africans. Are they fake? Is this connectedness superstition or a postulation by psychologists? Does love really have to come with misery? What's life like for biracial people who have trouble with their identities? ✨Read this is you have the patience but I bet you, it's good (especially if you like to psychoanalyse characters).