A Nigerian Catcher in the Rye, Uchenna Awoke’s masterful debut breaks the silence about a hidden and dangerous contemporary caste system.
Fifteen-year-old Dimkpa dreams of the day his father will be made village head. He will return to school and maybe even go on to university; his mother will no longer have to break her back foraging wild food to sell at market; they will have the money to build a fine tomb for his aunt Okike; and his family’s status as ohu ma, the lowest Igbo caste, won’t matter anymore. But when his father is passed over for a younger man, breaking tradition, Dimkpa realises that he must make his own fate.
Journeying from his small village in rural Nigeria, to Lagos, Awka, and home again, Dimkpa learns that no money is easy money, that superstition runs deep, that knowledge is power, and that sometimes it is better to live in the present than always be chasing a future just out of reach.
The Liquid Eye of a Moon is by turns hilarious and poignant, capturing all the messiness of adolescence, and the difficulty of making your own way in a world that seeks to oppress you.
‘In The Liquid Eye of a Moon, Uchenna Awoke casts a spell that is at once enchanting and haunting. An important story full of love and wonder, family and culture, strife and tribulation — this is not your typical debut novel. You are in the hands of a masterful storyteller, one whose grace and lyricism will win you over and then burrow deep inside the muck and marrow of your soul where it will remain for a long time.’
Robert Lopez, author of Dispatches From Puerto Nowhere
‘A wonderful debut. The Liquid Eye of a Moon is funny and moving in equal measure. A coming of age story that readers won’t forget.’
Dipo Faloyin, author of Africa is Not a Country
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‘Like the great Igbo writer Chinua Achebe before him, Uchenna Awoke has given us a stunning debut novel in The Liquid Eye of a Moon. Magic is the word that best describes this book. The magic of felt life for a young person seeking a place in a senseless world. The magic and madness of superstition, exploitative beliefs, and other outmoded practices. And the magic of literary prose in the hands of a master. If there is justice in the world, this brilliant novel will change the literary landscape.’
Jeffery Renard Allen, award-winning author of Fat Time and Other Stories and Song of the Shank
‘In The Liquid Eye of a Moon, Uchenna Awoke intricately intertwines memory, loss, and resilience against the backdrop of adolescence, capturing the essence of village and city life. With vivid portrayals of familial dynamics and societal upheavals, the narrative delicately navigates the community’s journey to reconcile its past with present obstacles, portraying Nigerians’ multifaceted realities.’
Nnamdi Ehirim, author of Prince of Monkeys
