BOOK REVIEW

Books: Haunted House, The Great Wrestler, and The Great Medicine Man Year of Publication: 2018, Publisher: Mazariyya Books Limited Patrick Oguejiofor Akin Tella Author: Reviewer: HAUNTED HOUSE In Haunted House, Patrick Tagbo Oguejiofor demystifies the Nigerian propensity to read all situations through the lenses of superstitious beliefs and encourages intelligent deciphering of complications as an alternative. In essence, he seems to be saying that we simultaneously become victims and accomplices with reference to webs of deception that the unscrupulous ones weave constantly if we subscribe to superstitions. The helplessness of Justine and his wife, and their ordeals in the hands of religious hypocrites masquerading as heavenly megaphones, and Emeka’s intelligent uncovering of the duplicitous ploy index the victory of reason over baseless endorsement of religious hypocrisy. Beyond this central preoccupation with reason over blind religiosity, the writer explores such other sub-themes as the vanity of pristine accumulation of wealth and religious hypocrisy. In the nationwide stride towards national rebirth and similar movements in other spaces in the contemporary world, this novel assumes its much relevance. The novel attempts to ‘catch them (the youth) young’ and appeal to the innate humanity of the old. The thematic preoccupations ride on the genuine characterisation and language deployment. The author duly considers the demographic details of the created characters in his ascription of utterances to them. And the simple diction makes the story accessible. Quite notably too, the author puts Igbo characters in a north-west Nigeria setting. This serves as an attestation to his panNigeria credential. In this period of “to your tent” where national unity becomes increasingly fragile in the face of volcanic ethnocentrism, Oguejiofor provides for us a work of art that indirectly celebrates unity in diversity. This is indeed a blend of themes and sub-themes that ride gleefully on accessible prose and believable characterisation.