THE RETURNEES. By Elizabeth Okoh

 

‘After a bad break up, 25-year-old Osayuki Idahosa leaves behind everything she holds dear in London to return to Lagos, Nigeria: a country she hasn't set foot in for many years. Drawn by the transformations happening in the fashion industry in the city, she accepts a job at House of Martha as their Head of PR. While waiting at Milan airport for her connecting flight to Lagos, she meets Cynthia Okoye and Kian Bajo, a wanna-be Afrobeat star. After the plane lands at the Lagos airport, they all go their separate ways but their lives will intertwine again and change the course of Osayuki's life forever.’
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Elizabeth Okoh's debut novel, following three characters as they return to Lagos, Nigeria is the book for summer. Using her three protagonists, Okoh delves into friendship, identity and sharp contrast between rich and poor in Nigeria.

Osayuki Isahosa is running away from London and a broken heart as she heads for a new Head of PR for a fashion brand in Lagos. While waiting for her connecting flight, she meets Cynthia who does not really want to go to Nigeria but her parents want her to do a year's service and find a purpose rather than being pampered in the UK and they also meet Kian, full of confidence and assurance that he is about to become the biggest Afrobeats star you could imagine in Nigeria.

They all go their separate ways once they land, each experiencing different sides of Lagos - Osayuki has a driver to take her to glamorous parties and to the office, Cynthia must start her training in a camp before she is assigned a teaching job, and Kian starts to realise that to get anywhere he needs to bribe people and sleep in a cramped flat with his cousin ... but slowly their lives start to intertwine.

The Returnees is a coming of age story where our three characters face unexpected love, finding a purpose down an unexpected route, and a new determination that will reshape their lives. Even though their parents are not in the same country, they are still tied to their families and tradition and Okoh explores this push and pull against expectation and wanting to have your own defined direction.

Okoh makes sure that you can't walk away from these characters and their lives by creating vivid characters who have to face twists and turns but makes sure that there are fantastic descriptions of the clothes, food and the locations. If you're looking to know more about a culture that you don't know much about then this book really pulls
you into the life of Lagos and shows you not only the highlight of boat parties and fashion shows but also the markets where you haggle for hair treatments and food.

This is a great read ... you need to read this book…

Review by Jessica – courtesy goodreads