Saturday 23 June 2018

A brief on Hadiza El-Rufai's new and first book 'An Abundance of Scorpions'.

The scorpions are the symbols of the many troubles a man encounter in life. Only that, this time, it is as experienced by  a female protagonist in a northern setting.

Hadiza El-Rufai's book portrays a realistic view of life as lived by a woman in a typical patriarchal African setting. In it are the cultural elements of Northern Nigeria explored.

Though a first book, there is a careful look at the details necessary for a book to be appreciated positively. The first person narrative technique adopted brings the book closer to oneself and makes one wanting to ask if the experiences in it are the author's experiences. This question is one that she hates answering though.

One thing is however certain, an author cannot write without pouring a little of himself or herself into his/ her work(s).