Welcome to Lagos

Chibundu Onuzo — 2017

When army officer Chike Ameobi is ordered to kill innocent civilians, he knows that it is time to leave. As he travels towards Lagos, he becomes the leader of a new platoon, a band of runaways who share his desire for a better life. Their arrival in the city coincides with the eruption of a political scandal. The education minister, Chief Sandayo, has disappeared and is suspected of stealing millions of dollars from government funds. After an unexpected encounter with the Chief, Chike and his companions must make a choice. Ahmed Bakare, editor of the failing Nigerian Journal, is desperate for information. But perhaps the situation is more complex than it appears. As moving as it is mesmerising, Welcome to Lagos is a novel about the power of our dreams for the future and the place of morality in a sometimes hostile world.

Reviews

Shona Tiger@shonatiger

Jan 19, 2023

I struggled to get a proper sense of this book, especially at the beginning; but it got more cohesive as it progressed, and was quite funny in parts. Edit: maybe 3.5 stars. It keeps coming back to me.

Jessica Williamson@jlw_writes

Dec 5, 2021

2.5 This book was not my jam. I liked the characters and the way the author set up Nigeria, showing us many different viewpoints into a world we'll probably never fully know. But it was slow, I didn't really care for the plot, and reading it was incredibly difficult. I switched to audiobook fairly early on and even then I was struggling to understand what the characters were saying. I know that makes it true to the characters but it just didn't work for me. Cover 3; Characters 3; Plot 2; Pace 2; Writing 3; Enjoyment 2.