In Dependence: A gentle escapism and more
A lyrical and moving story of unfulfilled love fraught with the weight of history, race and geography. This is how Sarah Ladip Manyika’s In Dependence presents itself. It is intertwined with questions of belonging, ageing, faith, and family secrets. This love story spans 40 years, three continents and two cultures. Layered in 36 chapters, it follows the lives of Tayo Ajayi and Vanessa Richardson who struggle to find themselves and each other. Ajayi sails to England from Nigeria to take up a scholarship at Oxford University. There he discovers a whole generation high on visions of a new and better world. He meets Richardson, the beautiful daughter of a former colonial officer.
Their story, which spans four decades, is a bittersweet tale of a brave but doomed affair and the universal desire to fall truly, madly and deeply in love. Readers will enjoy the references to musicians and authors, history and real-life events and people
It’s a fraught love story given the particular context in which the story unfolds. There is opposition to a black man being with a white woman, as there still is. The heart of the story is this love story between the two individuals.
An Ode to Nigeria
The 1960s was an era of civil rights, independence and feminist movements across the world, not forgetting that Nigeria first became a Republic in 1963. Seeing as Manyika is from Nigeria, I feel like this was her love story to the country. She writes historical fiction and captures the moment of the 1960s. As a reader, one can easily sense the 1960s were an exciting time for her. The book explores the complexities of contemporary Africa, its Diaspora and its interdependence with the rest of the world.
Themes that run through the book are dependence, where Nigeria has come from, both politically and economically; love, a sense of belonging and that of finding yourself in a world outside of your own.
What makes for a good reading experience are the characters who are very easy to fall in love, making one feel compelled by their story. Vanessa is a journalist and very interested in what is happening in the world and is something of an activist. Both characters are young when the story begins so it’s a coming of age story. It shows us how a love story can unfold – what holds people together, what pulls people apart.
Manyika’s writing and characterisation are masterful here – crisp and not wasting a word. The storytelling is enthralling, as the characters are written with utmost care and complexity. It’s quite rich in music and literature. It is a gentle escapism and so much more.
Manyika certainly reminds us of the importance of representation in literary works. In Dependence is inspired by history and it is for the upliftment of the Nigerian community and African community at large.
