Book Review: Light Seekers by Femi Kayode

Written by Safa Alhassan 

For the past few years, I've been very consumed by and interested in women's stories and books written by women, for women basically. So, naturally the writer usually has a feminine voice and the stories are told largely from a female perspective.

Then on this very good day, a female bookseller at Rovingheights convinced me to read Lightseekers by Femi Kayode. First I looked at the writer's name which was obviously male and then I quickly glanced through the synopsis and realised it was a crime thriller set in Nigeria, particularly in the southern part of the country. Well, interesting, I thought to myself, but not for me, I told her.

I tried dropping it but she kept convincing me that the book was highly sought after and hard to come by and that the bookstore might not restock it by the time I was ready to read it. So I decided to give it a chance. In fact the bookstore had placed a recommendation note beside where the book was displayed and I think that further grew my curiosity about what exactly was in this book that made it so highly recommended.

So I picked it up and added it to my stack of books that I bought that day.

Here goes my review.

Lightseekers by Femi Kayode has a very strong masculine voice, first off. It's something I haven't read in a while, which I kind of appreciated. It reminded me of a short story I wrote sometime ago titled Okwudiri, which had a somewhat similar voice.

Lightseekers is about Dr Philip Taiwo, an investigative psychologist and academic who has spent years in the United States. He is brought in to investigate the brutal murder of three university students, known as the Okriki Three, who were publicly tortured and killed by a mob after being accused of theft. The killings were captured on social media, and although the people responsible are known and are facing trial, the bigger question is: why did it happen? Dr Philip travels to Nigeria and begins digging into what really happened, with the help of his driver Chika.

The book is a crime thriller with descriptions of some very disturbing scenes. It's been a long time since I've read anything like it. I wasn't exactly enjoying the book to be honest, and that's not because it wasn't well written, but because it was too heavy and was ruining my mental space. I didn't want to be too invested in it so a lot of times when I started reading, I would drop it when it got too heavy and felt like it was ruining my mood.

Anyway, gone are the days when thrillers and horrors used to be my thing. Honestly ever since becoming a mother, not anymore. I've become so protective of my energy.

Something else I didn't quite like about the book was that I found it not straight to the point, too repetitive, too slow and without enough to spike my interest immediately. It's almost like an overly long series, but it isn't. So by the time the protagonist was ready to really get into his investigation, I had already lost interest.

Also, there was a particular scene in the book where Philip meets a woman on his flight to Port Harcourt. It was such a male thing and at least to me, highly disturbing. I remember reading that scene and thinking, really?

So that's it. I didn't finish the book even though I convinced myself several times to pick it up again. It just wasn't my thing, and I think I even gave it more chances than I normally would.

But nonetheless, it's a beautifully written book especially if thrillers and crime fiction are your thing. It has a strong sense of place, a complicated mystery and enough tension to keep you seeking answers. The subject matter is heavy though, so if you're like me and have become very particular about what you allow into your mental space, this might be one to approach with caution.

Happy reading.