By Eseohe Solomon
Baron’s Café, a publishing imprint of a media company, Fairchild Media, unveiled Friday Aja’s novel, London Tailors. The book, fresh out of the press, was unveiled on Sunday at its Ketu office in Lagos.
According to the COO of the firm, Oluwasogo Faloye, it is a seamless narrative that evokes empathy and nostalgia. He said the firm found it worthy of publishing because of its originality and relevance to postcolonial realities.
Faloye added, “London Tailors is a story of different thematic arms. It is a story of boyhood as well as a story of coping mechanisms to subvert hardship. It is also about the growing internet scam industry and migration. The seamless storytelling by Aja draws the readers into a world flooded by the resonances of postcolonial African countries in the shadow of Nigeria. The cinematic story makes narrators evolve consciously. They find themselves at a crossroads where they must choose within the range of their reason and exposure. The novel stresses the implications of the predisposing culture of society and how the twin evils of societal expectations and peer pressure stifle independence for young people.”
In a statement by the firm, some Nigerian authors who read the book in manuscript format expressed delight about the novel.Writer and novelist; author of Rogues of the East, Ikenna Okeh, described the novel as “A coming of age story narrated in a most seamless manner, pulling you in, only to tickle and, at the same time, rattle you…an easy and most delightful read.”
Award-winning poet and author of The Year of Fire, Femi Morgan stated that the novel is a moving story of boyhood. A boy is trapped between two tough choices—Japa or Yahoo—to fit into the preconceived mould of manhood.”
While, writer and former Vice Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Lagos Chapter, Eziafakaego Brenda Nwafor said “The novel is a treat for readers who love characters evolving from small towns to megacities. The book bears tales of juvenile mischief and exuberance, unguided ambitions, and its resultant effects. It gradually sucks you into itself; making you feel sympathetic to Uba, a young man left with a set of odd choices.”
