There are stories you read that make you aware that you’ve known nothing, experienced nothing, suffered nothing.
The stories that make your own sorrow seem so meager that you feel ashamed to have named those feelings ‘sufferings’ at all.
When you think your heartache is the biggest of all, you come across a book, a story, a piece of writing, and it makes you aware that your misery is nothing at all. There are people who have suffered more, suffered greatly, suffered ceaselessly, and have endured pure evil.
‘Say You Are One of Them’ was one of those books that changed my whole perspective on life.
It changed my thinking, taught me to differentiate between real sorrow and mere discomfort.
It was the book that taught me to appreciate the gift of life. A book that taught me to be happy because I had so much to be happy about.
It is a collection of five stories about family, friendship, betrayal, and redemption.
In each narrative, told from the perspective of a child from a different African country, Akpan, intense and vivid yet simple, portrays the terror, fear, and dreadfulness of the mundane details of everyday life.
In a simple, straightforward yet profound prose, he emphasizes the tenacity and perseverance of his fragile characters. The horrors that each of those small children go through exist outside the realm of anything logical.
All five stories in the book are captivating, but “Fattening for Gabon” is the one that left a lasting impression on me. It’s also one of the longest: over a hundred pages and resembles a dark fairy tale in its slow and sinister buildup toward an evil climax.
The protagonists, a 10-year-old boy and his 5-year-old sister, are sent to live with their uncle because their parents are dying of AIDS. The uncle makes a deal with the devil and sells them to become merchandise in a human trafficking network. Because an emaciated body will not achieve much at the market, the siblings are fed on feasts for the slave trade.
Akpan uses a first-person narrative in it; the story is told from the perspective of a 10-year-old boy, and that’s where it derives its power as well. There is a strong disparity between the child’s utterly dim perceptions of what awaits them and readers’ adult awareness that something evil is lurking in the shadows.
I read this book before entering motherhood, and I’m grateful for the timing. It’s unimaginable for me to have delved into a narrative where young, innocent children are sucked down into a vortex of pure malevolence, and the evil prevails.
Reading it made me realize how much I have to be thankful for, how many little joys and blessings fill my days if only I take the time to notice them. I started to see the world with fresh eyes. I found myself appreciating the simple pleasures and feeling grateful for the abundance of love and beauty that was my life. ‘Say You Are One of Them’ wasn’t just a story; it was a life lesson that I’ll carry with me always.
This book may leave you feeling saddened, drained, and emotionally spent. Yet its impact is invaluable and make your reading journey worthwhile.
Give it a go.
The Things I Know 