It is always a pleasure to read a book that is well written, especially a work of fiction that is enthralling and that tells a story that the reader can easily relate to. Blurry Lines by Tayo Emmanuel is one such book. It is a very riveting story, which is a mix of tragedy and love; a story that brings into the spotlight the challenges of single-parenting, especially from a male perspective. Digressing a little bit, I do not have any empirical basis for my assumption, but it seems to me that women bear the load of single-parenting more than men; and that when men do, they tend to struggle more than women. True or false, for a change, it was nice to see a man having to struggle with the challenges of single-parenting in Blurry Lines.
Blurry Lines follows the story of a single dad, Nathan Araba, who had to raise his two kids – Uzor and Nkechi – all by himself following the death of his wife. However, they get stuck in London while on a holiday visit to Nathan’s brother and his family because of the outbreak of the coronavirus. Sadly, while on the holiday, Nathan loses his brother, David, to the novel coronavirus. It was now up to Nathan to care for his deceased brother’s wife and son, along with his own two kids while also developing an unlikely romance with their neighbour, Zoe. With the very detailed narrative style of Tayo, you could very easily picture and comprehend the demands of being a single parent, and feel every mental strain, headache, and exhaustion experienced by the focal character, Nathan, as he managed to raise his two kids, secular work, and being supportive of his widowed sister-in-law and her son.
Tayo’s description of people, objects, and events in Blurry Lines is really outstanding. I particularly found her description of Bruno, Nathan’s nephew, very interesting. I could easily form a mental picture of an exuberant kid, who always wants to tell you all he knows about his favourite subject and doing so in a tactless manner many times. That is a testament to Tayo’s superb writing prowess. Tayo is a fantastic writer and storyteller – very thorough and meticulous, with a superior command of the English language. Her style ensures that you do not drop the book for one moment; you just keep consuming the story until you reach the final period on the last page of the book. With Tayo‘s vivid imagery in Blurry Lines, I got a return ticket to London. Blurry Lines is a good read – captivating, exciting, and enlightening. Therefore, if you are looking for a good book to lose yourself to for a day or two, then Blurry Lines is the one. Big ups to Tayo Emmanuel for a terrific job!
When is the best time to read this riveting piece? Now! Start Reading.
Review by Yemi
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