Who is Kiru Taye?

Kiru Taye is a Nigerian author who writes on love, relationships and more amongst Nigerians/ Africans in Africa.  We celebrate authors who are willing to show that love can and does occur in Africa.  I learnt about her most recent work which is a historical romance set in precolonial times. This new review will be done on the book - his strength.

On The Book - His Strength

His strength tells the story of Ikem and Nneka which is a story of love that occurs despite cultural limitations and circumstances. Ikem walks a grey line in his adopted Igbo society, he is treated as an outcast because he comes from a different village and yet he is respected for his skill in fighting.  Because he is treated as an outcast, he grows a shell and becomes notorious for his sexual skill with women.  But, he is in love with Nneka who he can’t have because she is married.  Fortunately, the wind turns and Nneka’s husband passes on, he swears that this time he is going to be Nneka’s husband and that’s  where their story really begins.

Nneka is also a complex character.  She comes from a home steeped in horror and as such she is treated as an outcast and this influences her choice when it is time to get married.  She intentionally chooses a very weak husband to ensure she doesn’t repeat her mother’s mistake.  Though slightly redeemed in society's eyes by her marriage, she goes back to her former placement in society when her husband passes on.

Now, being a widow in Igbo society is a complex role, it comes with a lot more freedom than being married or single but it also  comes with a lot of question marks that can be raised if one decides to get married again.   But, Nneka is strange in that she looks forward to the freedom that the death of her husband has afforded her.  Fortunately, love comes knocking in the form of Ikem who refuses to take no for an answer and has decided that Nneka won’t just be his sexual partner but be his wife.   You have to read the book to learn more about their relationship and the role that several members of society play in their story.

A review was done previously on one of Kiru’s books - his treasure.  In that review, I had mentioned that one of the great things I loved about her book was how she took her time to show case Igbo culture and attitudes.  In this book, we learn more about outcasts, Igbo family and most importantly the treatment of widows in precolonial Igbo societies.  This books gets two thumbs up for its reenactment of Igbo culture.   In the previous review, I had raised concerns about the heat level in her sex scenes.  She went above and beyond this time.   Her sex scenes are out of this world and  most importantly extremely believable.  I give her two thumbs up on that. The story is well told, the characters are tight and multi dimensional, and she ties up her stories neatly by ensure that there are no loose ends. She also gets two thumbs up for that as well. Her cover is simply SEXY - she gets two thumbs for that.