PS- this author has been interviewed on this blog. You can check out the interview here!.
Book Title: The Night And Its Tales.
Author: Onwuneme Yahwedalu Miracle.
Published: 2022
My Rating: 4.92/5.0.⭐️ A beautifully complicated coming-of-age tale with themes of Romance, Family, Friendship, Religion and Mystery. (I RECOMMEND!)
Here’s a book I could NOT wait to review, even while I was reading it. It’s rare to find a book that makes you feel so seen/understood and so I felt glad, excited to share about it with others!.
So for some backstory…:
I was asked to read/review this book last year by the author (who is now my good friend!)…. I did read it last year but I could not do a public review because I took an impromptu-but-much-needed social media break and a break from blogging too.
But as soon as I got back I knew I had to get this review done!. So here we are. I’ve reread the book again and I read it straight through, in one sitting (as I did the first time!). Some books just have that compelling effect!.
So let’s get straight into the review…..!
For me, this book is nothing short of a masterpiece. A unique, special and brilliant masterpiece!.
What really stood out to me, and made me love it was I found parts of myself in those pages (which is a really beautiful experience that you can only understand if you read books) and that it is honest, vulnerable, realistic. Just like real life actually is.
This book takes a stab at explaining being young and realizing life is not all what you thought it would be, describes the loneliness we sometimes feel as we take our individual paths through life.
So many responsibilities, so many dreams, very little opportunity, and the dreams keep tormenting every night, demanding to be unleashed. I always feel myself breaking from all the lives I have not lived.
The Man With The Biography.
There are three main characters in this book, and it is their journey towards rediscovery that we follow. A Young Writer obsessed with making a name for himself, as he seeks the perfect story; a Man who wants his biography written; and the Old Man who seeks to be heard. (The author leaves them nameless) Each of these characters become intertwined, and there’s definitely an air of mystery to them!.
At the start of the book, the Man who wants his biography written, meets with the Young Writer who’s searching for the perfect story to write, and he tells him (and us) his story. So we can say the Man with the biography is like the ‘Main Main Character’ (MMC), because it is his story that makes up the book!. However, it is the Young Writer that writes story.
And can I make a whole other review for the poems?!!!. Yes, there are poems scattered about all over this book. Poems, so good they stay on your mind. Beautiful, relatable and profound pieces of the author’s heart basically…..
Now to the MMC’s story, I’ll just briefly talk about the characters…..!
The story focuses on the MMC’s life as a university student. A guy who lost his parents at a young age, who has so many good friends and people around him, but can’t seem to let his guard down, can’t see himself as they all see him.
The Old Man was a librarian who the MMC was friends with and trusted. He was the key character in helping the MMC rediscover himself by reflecting on (or being honest with) himself at night.
The night was meant for sleep, now the night has many tales
The Old Man.
The Night is a whole other character in this book, (it was personified; given human qualities) representing those conversations we have with ourselves at night where we can face the truth about ourselves, bare, inevitable.
I’ve been known by many names; guilt, conscience, awareness. Can you believe someone once called me The Night?.
The Night.
At first, it was quite spooky reading about “The Night” as a person but it did make the story more mysterious and compelling. Abstract yet realistic. The Night was like the faithful friend, the mum who gives you good advice and the tough-love partner rolled up in one!.
Chinanza, the MMC’s sister. Kind, caring, responsible. Yet he struggles to open up to her and feels pity that she felt she had to take responsibility for him, be like his mum after their parents died and their relatives betrayed them.
Chiemerie, the MMC’s first love. The one he dreamed and planned to have a future with. But she lost her life due to poor healthcare after an accident. (Soooo heartbreaking!)
Precious, the MMC’s present girl friend. With her, it was love at first sight. But he still struggles to be open and honest with her. Thinks she is naïve to the reality of life. And she tries to save him from the darkness/heartbreak she sees in him.
You don’t need to have a diamond heart, you need to be broken, that’s how the light comes in.
Precious.
Lynda, the MMC’s best friend who he also struggles to be vulnerable with after his parents died. She’s a breath of fresh air, bubbly, funny, kind.
Yes, I choose loneliness because that is all I have known all my life, that’s all I’ve had as a friend, the closest of all friends in my life. And the voices in my head, they have never forsaken me, not once, not ever.
MMC.
Chiazokam, the MMC’s roommate, the outgoing, optimistic, ride or die type of person. The kind of person who can inspire/motivate you.
Stop seeking outwards what can be found within. You have read so many books and you have seen so much except one thing, yourself. Now is the time to seek within, read yourself, because that’s what a true warrior does and I know you as a true warrior. If you don’t fight for what you want, don’t cry for what you lose.
Chiazokam.
Something that really stood out to me was how everyone seemed to believe in the MMC except himself. Everyone seemed to view him better than he did himself.
My greatest fear is that I will one day become beautiful again.
MMC.
The story drags to an end with The Night helping the MMC resolve his inner conflicts. I can relate to this and it’s possible you can too. Being scared to hope, scared to dream, scared to step into the light. Because we’ve all had life beat us down at some point, make us ugly.
I’ll leave you to find your peace for I cannot do that, only you can save you, no one else can. So, I leave you with this: Young man, save yourself
The Night.
The Night and the MMC also get into a conversation about religion. Christianity, to be precise. About believing God exists. Believing in God. That whole conversation was quite an eye opener for me to an extent. You have to read it to get it really!.
In the end, we see the MMC meeting up with the Young Writer after the book has been published.
Sure, the night awaits my tale. But this time, it ain’t a tale about a boy who sought salvation, it’s going to be more complicated than that.
The Young Writer.
That sounds like a sequel right?!. I definitely wanted…No, I want a sequel to this book!. And obviously, I enjoyed reading it so much. I think any young adult would. There’s a lot of value packed into this book….a whole lot.
If you’re interested in reading this book too, here’s the link to get it!. (Both soft and hard copies are available, plus it’s very affordable; you can see for yourself through the link!)
Did you enjoy this review?. Have you read this book?. Please let me know your thoughts about it in the comment section below!.
You can also check out my interview of the author here: Young and Booked Series 1: Episode 11💐
Yours truly,
Keno✍️.
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Tale of the Book 