South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
‘Wahala’ means trouble, and that’s a good thing in entertaining debut
In Nigerian, “wahala” means trouble — an apt title for Nikki May’s highly entertaining debut that manages to be an insightful look at racism, classism, female friendship, heritage and jealousy, while straddling a fine line between a light mystery and a hardedged novel.
“Wahala” centers on three close friends, each of Nigerian background now living in London, each multi-racial, each well-established in their careers and each, in a way, envious of the other’s choices.
Ronke, Boo and Simi met 17 years ago at a university in Bristol, brought together, at first, because they were of mixed race and proud of it. “Being brown was an asset, not a liability,” says Boo. “It meant you could always fit in — with black people, white people and all shades in between.”
Now in their mid-30s, these intelligent women regularly meet for meals, shopping and get-togethers. Ronke, a successful dentist, is single with a string of “dodgy” boyfriends. She wishes she was married like Boo, who has a 5-year-old daughter with her French husband, Didier, or Simi, whose wealthy husband, Martin, lives part-time in Manhattan.
But there are times Boo wishes she was single, as does Simi, who is tired of Martin pressing for a baby. The three women’s friendship is the kind in which they can say anything to each other, knowing their secrets will be kept and they won’t be judged.
Then Isobel Adams, who knew Simi when they were 5 years old, moves to London and infiltrates their tight group, insisting on being included in every lunch or outing, throwing a tantrum when she’s not invited.
At first, the women are wrapped up in Isobel’s orbit. Isobel is charming, “embarrassingly wealthy,” generous and always up for a heart-to-heart talk. But then little fractures emerge among the three friends, with secrets becoming public and those little annoying irritants overblown. Just because you were friends with someone as children, doesn’t mean either of you are the same person, especially when you’ve lost touch. Isobel seems to be the epitome of “wahala” with a knack for pushing discontent, chaos and capitalizing on each woman’s realistic insecurities. The stakes are raised when a murder occurs.
May’s energetic storytelling keeps “Wahala” moving briskly with the women’s natural conversation flowing freely while giving insight to the Nigerian culture. May accents the various meal scenes in “Wahala” with precise descriptions of the various dishes — and thoughtfully includes a few Nigerian recipes at the end.
“Wahala” shows May is an author to watch.