Read The Synopsis of Elnathan John’s Debut Novel – “Born on A Tuesday”

It’s here…Almost!

We and other lovers of good Nigerian literature have been eagerly anticipating the release of Elnathan John‘s debut novel – Born on A Tuesday – which will be released on the 12th of November by Cassava Republic Press.

PS: If you don’t know who Elnathan is, remember, Google is your friend. Or you can scroll to the bottom and read about him????

Also you can join Elnathan as he talks about his book  at the Lagos Book and Art Festival on Saturday 14^th November by 1pm at the Goethe-Institute, and by 4pm at Freedom Park.

There will also be a launch party hosted at the Bogobiri Lounge in Ikoyi on Friday 13^th November. Click here to obtain tickets, and here to pre-order the book.

But while we wait, here’s the synopsis of the novel…

ABSTRACT

Dantala’s story begins in the fictional backwater called Bayan Layi, away from the capital of Nigeria’s only legally recognised caliphate, Sokoto. He is introduced as a naive but fast-learning Quranic student in a Sufi Quranic school, far away from his parents. Very quickly after the end of his schooling, by happenstance, he is introduced to the leader of a small urban street gang, Banda, a nominal Muslim who lives on the fringes. Banda’s gang was often used as an example of how not to be a Muslim by Dantala’s now erstwhile teacher, Malam Junaidu. For the first time, Dantala is thrust into a world with fluid rules, away from the strict control of family or religion. The exigencies of the 2003 Presidential elections push him to violence as an associate of Banda. In an armed response the police chase down the members of the gang and Banda slumps after getting shot. Running away to a different town, still reeling from the trauma of the events in Bayan Layi, he stumbles into a mosque situated at the motor park where he intends to find a vehicle to head home to his mother.

Although the proprietors of this mosque are Salafi, he is overwhelmed by their warmth and hospitality and decides to join them after meeting his mother and discovering she is suffering from a debilitating ailment. Slowly and through the hurdles of adolescence, he embraces Salafism as preached by his new benefactor, Sheikh Jamal. Sheikh has a deputy, Abdul Nur, a brilliant but stern convert from Ilorin, whose interpretations of Salafist principles become increasingly literal and conservative. Abdul Nur’s Christian brother, Jibril, arrives from Ilorin to be taken care of by his brother, grudgingly converts to Islam and becomes Dantala’s closest friend. Together, they navigate the murky waters where religion, politics and power converge, bonding over language classes – Dantala teaches Jibril Arabic while Jibril teaches him English – as well as vices and dark secrets.

Dantala falls in love with Sheikh’s daughter, Aisha, and tries to court her within the acceptable limits of a conservative Muslim setting. All the while, Sheikh struggles to deal with growing jihadist extremism within his own ranks. In the midst of the complexities of culture, religion and politics, Dantala adopts a simple, but practical non-philosophical approach to life and his relationships. Through tragedy and brotherhood, Dantala comes of age in arguably the most turbulent period of contemporary Northern Nigerian history.

About the author

Elnathan John is a Nigerian writer, and one of Nigeria’s most well-known satirists. He has twice been shortlisted for the prestigious Caine Prize for African Writing (2013 & 2015). His writing has been published in Per Contra, Evergreen Review and Chimurenga’s The Chronic. He is a 2015 Civitella Ranieri Fellow and lives in Abuja, Nigeria.