Guardian

CAUGHT in the Storms by Amaka Lucy Ezenwankwo , an enthralling third person narrative, is a 171-page novel in 20 chapters, which I prefer to group into four stages of five chapters each, namely; the good, the bad, the ugly, and the endgame. The first stage (chapters 1 – 5) introduces the key characters in their innocence; the second stage (chapters 6 – 10) reveals in details the escapades of the lead character, Sandra; in the third stage (chapters 11 – 15), Sandra is torn between greed and the thought of settling down to a blissful marriage; while in the final stage (chapters 16 – 20), Sandra goes diabolic and fast-forwards her disaster.

The plot of the novel grips the reader and pulls him/her through the story, in a compelling manner, till the end. Sandra overcomes her tertiary admission challenges by settling for a polytechnic and she is determined to make the best of it by focusing on her studies, at least initially. Sadly, she soon forgets ‘the daughter of who you are’, a phrase re-echoed many times by her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Smith Nwafor. Nudged by her new found friends (Oge, Linda and Tina) and propelled by her personal greed, Sandra satisfies her opulence, which Mr. Brown Johnson readily provides. To avoid perceived academic dissonance, she enlists for a university degree after her compulsory one year post-ND internship. The arrival of Mike, the handsome public relations executive, on the scene presents Sandra with a unique opportunity to settle down and redeem herself. Rather, she gambles again and begins double dating. The consequence of such an unholy act is all too familiar. Soon, Sandra is caught red-handed in the arms of her aristo. Expectedly, Mike ends the relationship and takes a walk. But Sandra is desperate to eat her cake and have it.

Spurred by the matrimonial successes of some of her friends, especially Oge, the repentant wayward lady, Sandra becomes even more desperate to get married; and so engages the services of Mama Nnukwu, the witch-doctor, to cast a spell on both Mike and Mr. Brown. The spell is later broken by the prayers of Mrs. Brown, who fights to save her home and wins her husband back; and Mike’s pastor, who is fully aware of Sandra’s evil intentions. In the end, Sandra runs mad in the aftermath of her impotent spell.

As a moral lesson for teenagers, especially young girls, Caught In The Storms is right on point. Out of the girls that energise the storyline, only Oge escapes, but with scars, as she is married and sober. The rest are not so lucky. Tina dies due to complications arising from too many abortions. Linda’s marriage crushes once her husband realised that her womb disorder is a result of earlier contraceptives abuse. Of course, Sandra’s spell on Mike boomerangs, prompting her to go mad.

There are few African stories without superstitions and Caught In The Storms is not an exception. The supernatural powers of good and evil clashed in the novel as seen in prayers by Mrs. Brown, Mike’s pastor; and charms, incantations by Mama Nnukwu and then, Sandra. Similarly, the author attempts some proverbs (p.60, p.81), although her dexterity in this is doubtful, but commendable given her Lagos-aje-butter-girl status.

However, the novel raises a few concerns. Why did the male characters walk away free without even a reprimand? After all, it takes two to tango! At least, society would expect Mr. Brown Johnson to be punished for his infidelity. Secondly, I do not think there is a justification for Sandra’s waywardness; and any attempt by the author to link her immoral acts to her earlier heartbreak with Ken, her first ex-boyfriend, begs the question. Besides, Sandra had two clear chances to retrace her steps and chart a new course. For instance, the change of institutions (Polytechnic to University) and cities (Oko to Enugu) presented an opportunity to break with her past, dislodge some bad friends and cut off bad influences. Again, the arrival of Mike on the scene was yet another. Both Sandra and Mike, mutually though at separate times, contemplated settling down to a happily married life.  As usual, Sandra missed the chance; and sadly, the events of this scene led to her doom. Another of my concerns was the three chapters (chapters 2 – 4) devoted to Mr. Smith Nwafor’s early childhood, his hard work, her intelligence which I feel didn’t add much to the storyline beyond the simple fact that Sandra was from a humble background.

Mr.& Mrs. Nwafor, in the novel, failed in their parental guidance to their daughter. Need I mention that the teenage years or adolescence, which occurs between end of secondary school and tertiary institutions is the critical period most parents lose control of their children. The reasons are two folds: first, at this stage, children tend to go to boarding houses away from the prying eyes of parents, aunties, and neighbours. Secondly, and more importantly, even if your children were schooling from home, they are not exempted from adolescence crisis, which is often marked by emotional, physiological/psychological changes and personality rediscovery. The author tells us that throughout Sandra’s five years in both Oko and Enugu, her parents were too busy to visit and see things for themselves — they are too busy to care for their daughter.

Beyond contributing to the body of literary knowledge, the author is providing parents, guardians, as well as teacher a moral lesson to reflect on. I therefore recommend this novel as a teaching tool. Sandra may have been caught in the storms of life; but the storms of life can be weathered by those who have prepared themselves.

Okogun is an Organisation & Management expert with specialisation in leadership. He is CEO, NOVELPOTTA Y&R.