Swallow

by Sefi Atta

In the 1980s in Lagos, the government's War Against Indiscipline and austerity measures are in full swing. A succession of unfortunate events leads Tolani, a bank secretary, to be persuaded by her roommate Rose to consider drug trafficking as a way to make a living. Tolani's subsequent struggle with temptation forces her to reconsider her morality—and that of her mother Arikes—as she embarks on a turbulent journey of self-discovery.

Genres: Fiction, Africa, Nigeria, African Literature, Historical Fiction, Literature

268 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2010

About the author

Sefi Atta was born 1964 in Lagos, Nigeria. She was educated there, in England and the United States. Her father Abdul-Aziz Atta was the Secretary to Federal Government and Head of the Civil Service until his death in 1972, and she was raised by her mother Iyabo Atta.

A former chartered accountant and CPA, she is a graduate of the creative writing program at Antioch University, Los Angeles. Her short stories have appeared in journals like Los Angeles Review and Mississipi Review and have won prizes from Zoetrope and Red Hen Press. Her radio plays have been broadcast by the BBC. She is the winner of PEN International's 2004/2005 David TK Wong Prize and in 2006, her debut novel Everything Good Will Come was awarded the inaugural Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa.

Her short story collection, Lawless, received the 2009 Noma Award For Publishing in Africa. Lawless is published in the US and UK as News From Home.

She lives in Mississippi with her husband Gboyega Ransome-Kuti, a medical doctor, and their daughter, Temi.

Reviews

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Was it possible that once a woman refused to behave herself, she could end up fighting the whole world?

This is a book that had potential along one characteristic of fiction or another, but didn't commit to tying them all together in time before the dust of the concluding lines had settled. A first-person narrative perspective meant the reader had front row seats to the back cover's pithily put "struggle with temptation", but the opportunities offered by instant interiority largely went unheeded. The plot is as dire as the description of it sounds, but much like today's movie commercials, so much of it is given away at the beginning that what is left cannot merit the hook that dragged in the audience. Myriad characters makes for myriad chances to craft a truly fascinating humanoid entity, but at the risk of the side character with all their lack of point of view supplanting the supposed protagonist. There's as many ways of of succeeding at all these as there is at failing, so it isn't as simple as pointing out what and when and where things went wrong and what can be done to fix it. I have to say, though: if you're going to chain your climax to your title in such overt way, you'll have to work that theme to death throughout the book, else it won't leave much besides slight readerly appreciation for a clever turn of phrase.

...I have always said, in passing judgments on others, that if you want to know the best and worst a person is capable of, try and imagine their greatest fear.

For whatever reason, my university's edition is one that was actually produced in Lagos, which made for an interesting compare and contrast to what Goodreads currently features. Not only does the front cover of mine completely pass over the woman of color trope in favor of something completely abstract yet oddly thematic, the back offers a wealth of names I'm far more used to digging up than seeing blurbed on contemporary lit. Tadjo, Aboulela, Dangarembga, Okorafar-Mbacha. I hadn't even come across Tade Ipadeola till now, which goes to show how much farther I have to go. This and the unexotic and non-pontificating descriptions of postcolonial, post-civil war, 1980's Nigeria life, both city and rural and everything inbetween, was ultimately what made the book worth reading. I would certainly put more effort into appreciating the design of books if I knew I had this much respectful yet intriguing holism of book culture and artwork to look forward to.

If a woman had enough energy to sleep with another woman's husband, then she ought to have enough energy to contribute to the chores in his household. It was only fair.

All in all, this was a quick read, a few flashes of epigram worthy prose and thematic power not raising the level of quality beyond that of standard narrative decency. In tune with my fascination with the edition, I'll be making a Listopia version of all the books mentioned as being put out by the publisher near the back before I bring it back.

But not everyone was approached by a drug recruiter. If they were, how many would end up smuggling? How many would refuse?

[Tosin (booksxnaps) · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I’d like to say this book is so real and Nigerian.

I feel like I can’t say much because it’ll give the whole thing away.

Summary of it is that Tolani, the main character lives in Lagos with her roommate Rose who seems to be a girl that lives by the ‘Do what you gotta do to survive’ motto. The story spans through Tolani’s life as it is and her mother’s life from when she met her father and life in Makoku! I loved Tolanis mom so much and how she broke cultural norms and stood up for herself and other women despite the alarming misogyny.

This book focused on a lot of issues. How women feel like being married is the ultimate, how a man being infertile is a secret but a woman’s infertility is announced, how terrible poverty and financial slavery make people do the worst e.t.c.

I’ve always loved Sefi Atta’s style of writing. Her books are super easy to read! So this is highly recommended. 👌🏾

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

The protagonist is a young woman who has left her rural Nigerian home to work in Lagos as a secretary. As the story opens, a series of cascading events moves her closer and closer to the financial edge. Without the safety net of family, her situation quickly becomes precarious, forcing her to grapple with the tension between her morals and her need. Interwoven with the story of this young woman is that of her mother who faced the struggle to be true to her own values at multiple times in her life. I appreciated that this plot was not similar to most books I have read. The characters were sufficiently developed. For a nearly 300 page book, it read surprisingly fast. 3.5 stars

[London · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit I judged this book by its cover. The cover looked drab and there was no synopsis anywhere & I don't really know why I checked it out of the library but it was such a great story! I could relate to the main character and her feelings and her struggles. I thought it was well written and kept you turning the page. I liked the simplicity of the writing and the plot.

[Carolien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tolani and Rose are two ordinary girls who are trying to make their way in Lagos where they are roommates and work at a local bank. Then Rose is fired and meets a new man which leads to an opportunity to smuggle drugs. Tolani must find herself and live with her choices. Well-written and an authentic feel to the setting of Lagos.

[Michael Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book opens with a dialogue between two friends on the bus, on their way to work, after narrowly escaping a possible accident. Rose talks a lot, and preferably about what her friend Tolani should do with her life and her boyfriend, while Tolani herself only gives laconic replies. Both face an uphill struggle trying to survive in the chaotic metropolis of Lagos, Nigeria, in a society dominated by men who tend to be unreliable, molesting, or even criminal.

Tolani doesn’t appear to be very good at getting her way through dialogue, even though there is a lot of it going on. Somehow, it never goes her way, and she always ends up swallowing her pride. Her employers kick her around, her useless boyfriend squanders her savings, her mother tells her everything except what she needs to know, and her friend Rose signs the pair of them up for a trip as drug mules, which, again, requires Tolani to swallow her pride, not to mention a condom filled with cocaine.

With its colourful representation of everyday life in Nigeria, this short novel (like Atta’s debut, Everything good will come) is very engaging - at least in the short term, for 10 or 20 pages. I especially enjoyed the swipes at us western people (“oyinbo” seems to be the Yoruba equivalent to “gringo”), such as: “… oyinbos write theories about things they can’t understand, and by the time they finish, you can’t understand either, even if they’re writing about you.” (p. 167) However, given the very slow pace of the progress our heroine makes, the reading experience is also a little bit frustrating in the longer term. This may very well be intentional, reflecting the frustration that this woman suffers every day. (Atta's debut novel was a coming of age story, so there naturally was a bit more of direction to it.) Only in the very last paragraph she seems to have picked herself up. “It’s my turn to speak,” she says. About time, too.

[Joy Cagil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tolani is a single woman living with a roommate, Rose, in Lagos, Nigeria. In the beginning of the story, both women work in the same office where red tape, biases, and corruption abound. Rose is fired and Tolani is made to take her place with Rose's immoral boss, Mr. Salako. Besides the relationship of these two women, Tolani's mother's story seeps intermittently into the plot, giving it even more depth.

Later, while Rose takes up with a drug dealer, Tolani loses her boyfriend. What happens to these two women at the end of the story, and more so, what happens internally to Tolani is a powerful tale. It addresses women's psychological struggles and their fights to find their rightful place in a corrupt society.

This book was an eye-opener for me. I knew little if nothing about Nigeria, about its tribal prejudices, city and country life, civil war, and corruption in government and society, but I was especially impressed by the uniquely strong women in the story, strong despite superstition, social prejudice, and difficult everyday life, and also, I thought their camaraderie despite everything was truly awesome.

What most pleases me about this novel is its skillful portrayal of fully developed characters. It is those characters that carry the plot through the minute details of everyday life. In the hands of a lesser writer, this story could have been a bore, but Sefi Atta's pen has made it a literary winner.

[Onome · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book but it felt unfinished.

[Mbali (flowahh_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A vivid tale of Lagosian life.

Set in the 1980s in Lagos, when the government’s “War Against Indiscipline” was in full swing. Sefi Atta tells the story of Tolani, a bank secretary, and her roommate Rose and how they navigate life in Lagos.I was immediately taken by the author’s vivid description of Lagos as it felt like I was constantly walking beside Tolani as she experienced life and the city. While doing an incredible job at evoking the sounds and smells of Lagos, Sefi Atta highlights the issues faced by the African women - the pressures of getting married, vulnerability to sexual harassment, and the terrible nature of poverty. But that’s not all, it also does a great job of showing the racial, class, and religious tensions found in Lagos. I think I should mention that at times the novel felt choppy, but it was something that I was able to easily overlook. It can be considered an easy read, and is definitely worth the read.

[Mattilda]

This book does a great job of showing the tensions in contemporary Lagos, Nigeria -- divisions and allegiances because of or based on race, class, ethnicity, social status, religion, gender, geographic origin, job, neighborhood, family, etc. Sefi Atta also shows the narrator’s developing awareness of the hideousness of hierarchies, and especially gender-related violence. The drug smuggling plot line starts out complicated but unfortunately becomes hackneyed, and in the end the book doesn’t realize its potential.

[Marcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting enough to read... It is a book that is a one time capture not a book a I will remember or will want to read again.. It is set in Nigeria and the descriptions of the culture in Nigeria is what captured my attention the most... I liked trying to understand where the narrator was coming from... all the things that the people in her environment did and/or put up with to survive...

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The struggles of unexceptional people living in 1980’s Nigeria are the focus of Sefi Atta’s moving and gripping second novel, Swallow. The story is narrated by Tolani Ajao, a young Yoruba woman living in Lagos who has moved there from her home in Makoku village seeking a brighter future and a better, more modern way of life. Tolani shares a simple apartment with another young woman, Rose Adamson, a city girl with an impetuous manner who is not shy about voicing her dissatisfaction with the state of the country and her marginal existence. For Tolani, life in the big city is nothing like what she had hoped it would be. The infrastructure is dilapidated. Power outages are frequent. Tolani and Rose both work at the Federal Community Bank and find the daily commute back and forth to their office long and tedious. Financial pressures are relentless. One day Rose is fired from her job for refusing to submit to the sexual advances of her boss, the odious Mr. Salako, and Tolani is shocked when Salako approaches her to fill the position. But Tolani is accustomed to doing what she is told. Unwillingly, she becomes Salako’s administrative assistant, and is not surprised when he makes similar advances toward her and then becomes belligerent when she rebuffs him. Meanwhile, Tolani is growing impatient with her unambitious boyfriend Sanwo, who is content to drift through life eking out a modest living making “deals” while giving little thought to their future together. At Rose’s urging, Tolani presents him with an ultimatum regarding their marriage plans, but immediately regrets her actions when he grows sullen and annoyed. Trying to appease, she allows Sanwo to talk her into investing in his next deal, a sure thing that will produce a large return in a short time. When the deal turns out to be a scam and Sanwo confesses that her money is gone, she breaks up with him. Rose, who has not found another job, has been spending her time with a shadowy character named OC, and one day she approaches Tolani with a drastic and dangerous scheme that will solve their money problems once and for all. Tolani, knowing that losing her job at the bank is a distinct possibility after she files a complaint against Mr. Salako, considers the ramifications of Rose’s offer, which requires that she become party to a criminal enterprise. In the end, Tolani, facing a decision about the kind of future she wants for herself, flees the city and ends up back in Makoku living with her mother and considering her options. Atta’s disturbing and deeply affecting novel tells a story of ordinary people facing heartbreaking choices. Tolani is smart and enterprising but lives in a world where prosperity is a dream for all but an elite minority of the most fortunate and the most corrupt. Can she learn to accept the hand that life has dealt her? And if she cannot, what can she do about it? When all is said and done, it is her past that seems to hold the answer.

[Maniki_021 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is ser in Lagos, Nigeria, in the. Two friends are having a conversation on the bus as they travel from work at the beginning of the book. Rose and Tolani are both employed for the Federal Community Bank. One day the perverted Mr. Salako, Rose's employer, fires her for refusing to consent to his advances sexually, and Tolani is astonished when Salako approaches her to replace the post. She reluctantly accepts Salako's offer to be his assistant, so she is unsurprised when he makes similar attempts.
Tolani Ajao, a young Yoruba woman residing in Lagos who relocated there from her home in Makoku village in search of a better way of life.
Tolani's partner Sanwo does not want to marry her, which makes Tolani impatient with him as he creates reasons for why he is not ready for marriage, behaving like a normal unambitious man. Sanwo persuades her to engage in his upcoming business venture, a sure thing that would bring in cash in no time—importing dogs for the army (LOL)
She breaks up with him when it turns out that the deal was a hoax and Sanwo admits that her money is gone. In order to fix their financial troubles, Rose, who has been without a work for some time, has been hanging out with a drug dealer named OC. One day, Rose approaches Tolani with a risky and drastic plan. Tolani weighs the implications of Rose's offer but decides against taking it because she knows that losing her job at the bank is a real possibility if she files a complaint against Mr. Salako. In the end, Tolani leaves the city and returns to Makoku village to live with her mother Rose on the island after making a decision on the kind of future she wants for herself.
When Rose, the person on the other end of the line, consumes the cocaine, the drug's balloon explodes inside of her, and she passes away.

The book raises awareness of the issues faced by African women, such as the pressure to be married, their propensity for sexual harassment, and the deplorable conditions of poverty.

[Layemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a 4.5 hour stretch, plus 20 minutes the next day. I wasn’t quite sure at the end what I thought of it, and had to think through if I think it’s a 4 or 5 star book.

I liked most of the things about the book, the stories of the characters are realistic and seem to reflect well the situation in Nigeria at the time, some of the factors of which still last till today. Tolani’s relationships with Rose and her neighbours are relatable. I don’t want to give to much away, but though the ending of the first part was foreseeable, it still had the intended effect on the reader, and you keep reading to see how things go.

The part that I am conflicted on the most is the sections on Tolani’s mother’s life. The first time, I thought we were just going to hear her story once, but as we kept going back more and more times I realized it was part of the novel (and re read the back which confirmed it). To be honest, at first I was not interested in her mother’s story and considered glazing over it whenever it came up, but I am glad I read it as well because it was interesting, and her defiance and confidence was a welcome feature in a story about the times she lived in.

By the end though, I was still not quite sure on the connection between Tolani’s story and her mother’s. The two are related and reflect two women living through different times, but something in the connection of the two stories was just missing for me.

However, I’m still giving the novel 4.5 stars rounded up to five because I think not seeing the connection is my fault, not the author’s. It’s almost like I know something is there but I’m not thinking of the story in the right way to understand it. It still deserves five stars because it’s beautifully written, engaging, and as I mentioned an accurate reflection of a period in time.

[Philisiwe Twijnstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a read... still recovering..., okay I have recovered.

Swallow... first of all the cover should not turn you off... because it does... 😬 what matters is the story.... and boy!!! What a story... umgosi!!!!

Swallow is a surprising read with so many themes and monumental scenes that made me cringe at times. I really looked forward to read #swallowbysefiatta I enjoyed the simplicity and the feeling of assurance that the characters have a clear objective. As the story unfolds Tolani’s changes especially when her life is threatened. We follow Tolani who lives in a flat in Lagos with Rose. They work at the bank ( banks and Nigeria 🤔) Rose is fired because she slapped her boss, he was touchy-feely with her. The novel starts with a dialogue of friends in a bus. Rose talks a lot advising Tolani about the seriousness of her man and his intentions. We get to see Tolani wanting to pay her own dowry in order to be married forcing his boyfriend to marry her. Sanwo wants to realise his business idea. Rose is no longer working messing the flat. Tolani comes back to the flat that is dirty and some food has been eaten by Rose. Tolani ends up promoted to Rose ‘s position (the pervert boss , but at the end he gets what he deserves.) the most prickling experiences is when Rose and Tolani meet OC ( they end up being persuaded to be mules by swallowing cocaine) Tolani tries but she ends up not doing it but Rose continues and ends up flying to England (I think) but the balloon of cocaine burst inside her and she dies... ( I felt for Tolani) at night OC comes to warn her to leave Lagos and go away. This novel is layered and it is funny and sad. The ending is unexpected which I liked. The pace is rather slow but it felt driven by how frustrated Tolani is throughout the narrative. #swallowbysefiatta #bookstagram #bookworm #bookish #booklife.

[Vee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whew. What a book. Theres so much to unpack that I long to discuss this book with someone. Sefi Atta’s writing is unique and poetic, her ability to inhabit the characters’ minds and lives convincingly, proves furthermore that she was born to write. Sefi Atta is one of the latest in a great line of female Nigerian writers. This book was so engrossing, her style so unobtrusive that after a while they transcend the reading experience.

‘Swallow’ is a vivid tale of the life of a Lagosian & the effects of the socioeconomic & political landscape on Nigerian women. This book touched on a lot of issues that I felt aren’t talked much about in African households- such as; drug trafficking, sexual harassement, the effects of poverty, etc. After reading this, I asked myself one question: “What does empowerment for women look like in countries where there are limited opportunities?” I believe this story answers this question–“who cares?” This book focused on a lot of issues. Time and time again, we are reminded that the world doesn’t favor women. We are reminded that women are nothing without marriage, that when a man is infertile, it should be kept a secret but when it is a woman it deserves to be publicly announced, that when we are making more than our husbands we should be silent about it, and when we are taken advantaged of, we should endure it…or else.

In a society dominated by men, Tolani along with her roommate, Rose, navigate through the hardships of living in Lagos. But to what extent can poverty push someone? What decisions does one have to make just to survive? Although the plot is introduced much later in the story, through the smallest details of the characters’s everyday life, they are able to carry the plot. As I am still recovering from the story, I don’t think the author’s point was to center this entire book on drug trafficking but instead to skillfully expose the hardships women go through in Nigeria and how far poverty and lack of governmental effectiveness can push a person. Besides these two women, Tolani’s mother story is incorporated intermittently, exposing what many women endure in a marriage.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tolani and Rose share a flat and work in the same bank, until Rose loses her job for refusing her bosses’ advances and not holding back in telling him and others what she thinks of him. Both women are trying to make a go of living in Lagos rather than in the poverty ridden rural areas they grew up in.
Rose is strong willed and at times selfish and thoughtless in her actions which harm her as much as anyone. Tolani tends more towards fitting in and taking responsibility for herself. Despite her responsibility, Tolani also makes choices that har her, like waiting for her boyfriend to marry her when he is afraid to commit, and then lending him all her savings to start what she really already knows is a doomed business venture.
Tolani is promoted into Rose’s job, and eventually is also fired when she refuses the bosses’ advances and makes a statement of complaint to HR. Tolani and Rose have to then make difficult choices about how to earn money to survive.
Life in Lagos is not easy, with power cuts and traffic, and many people scrabbling for a living. The characters that live in and around the women’s block of flats and neighbourhood are all colourful and struggling in their own ways.
The friends go on their different paths, and Tolani starts finding a way to self-acceptance.
Tolani and Rose remind me in some ways of the sisters in ‘My Sister, the Serial Killer’ by Oyinkan Braithwaite, who also make very different choices.

[Ojumu Olalekan]

My interest in this book was as a result of an interview I read about the book being adapted into a movie by Netflix and directed by one of my favorite directors Kunle Afolayan. I was not disappointed when I read the book, I just hope, the book does not get lost in the movie adaptation.

Sefi was able to create powerful characters which readers can readily relate to. I could not but pity Mrs Durojaye and Mama Chidi, women who not only loved their children but had to succumb to societal pressure on how to live and if to pursue their ambitions. Exploring the theme of gender, tribalism, patriarchy, contemporary Lagos life, morality, and culture, readers are drawn to the salient issues that still affects contemporary African society.

For the main character Tolani and her friend Rose, we see two different characters from different different socio-cultural backgrounds whose perspective towards everything and anything is quite contrasting. What they share in common is dealing with sexual harassment and economic hardship which drove them to swallow dugs.

Tolani, a well cultured lady and moralist, decided not to go ahead, while Rose, still desperate decided to. There tussle over the morality of what they are about to do is an everyday struggle we face as humans when we are faced with our consciences.

The book is worth reading.

[Pavarti Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sefi Atta's Swallow is nothing like what I expected.  This book has so many things going for it I was almost afraid to read it!  Quality international Fiction is hard to find in the United States, let alone to find one that has been well translated by someone who understands the culture, and then add on top that this is a book by a woman! It's like the trifecta of interesting literature!  Atta's book has all of the sensitivity and character description you could ever ask for, but the plot leaves you wanting.

I have to wonder if the difficulties I had with this book aren't a result of the very thing I was excited about when reading it, authentic cultural literature.  Swallow was well written with a clear, consistent voice.  Tolani is a single woman, negotiating the changes from her parent's Nigeria in a small farming town and her own experiences in the poverty ridden urban area of Lagos.  She is unmarried, but has a long term boyfriend who has been promising to marry her for over two years.  She is quiet and well behaved, never moving forward or backwards, her life is stagnant.

In opposition to Tolani's good behavior we are given the character of Rose, her co-worker and roommate.  Rose sees money and sex as freedom and is desperate to improve her station.  She is opinionated and audacious, taking risks that Tolani would never consider.

In between the stories of the two friends are stories that Tolani's mother Arike have told her daughter throughout her life about how she met Tolani's father and life in rural Nigeria.

The characters we are given in this story and the vivid emotions of the three, very different women involved are fantastic.  You can feel the authenticity of their stories.  Swallow stops short of actually being a great book for me because while the plot is realistic and plausible (the temptation of drug trafficking as a means to escape the poverty of urban Africa) the throughline doesn't grab the reader.  The male characters are shallow and uninteresting.  I don't know if this is done purposefully in contrast to the main female characters or if it is simply a side effect of Atta's dislike of her own characters, but regardless there is nothing endearing about any of them.  The one male character that you almost begin to feel for, "Johnny", disappears and is never given any depth.  Perhaps these male characters are archetypes of some sort, used to teach us a lesson.  I can almost feel that, but in the end it falls short.

The sub-plot of Arike's history and the struggles of being a strong woman in rural Africa is the most interesting part of this.  The details of her childhood and trials of marriage are fantastic and relate-able.  I would love to see Atta focus on this story and was impressed enough with her writing that I would like to try another of her books.

In the end Swallow is an excellent exercise in culture based literature, but a less predictable or more fleshed out plot are necessary for it to be something I would recommend.  If you are specifically interested in Nigerian history or women in Africa than this is a great read, but if you are looking for a story with depth and universal draw I suggest you keep looking.

[Ibiene Bidiaque · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Swallow, Sefi Atta tells the tale of Tolani Alao, a young woman who resides in Lagos in the 80s, grudgingly partaking in the hustle and bustle of the city because she has to make a living and send money to her mother back home. Tolani’s life takes a hit when she and her borderline-nutcase of a flat mate, Rose, lose their jobs within weeks of each other and are faced with a chance to make quick money.

What Atta does in Swallow is bring to the forefront issues beleaguering African women; the pressure to get married, the vulnerability to sexual harassment and the arrogance of flagrant predators, the ravenous nature of poverty.

In parts of the book, I found the dual-narrative style (told in parts by Tolani and in other parts by her mother, Arike) dull; the descriptive sometimes went on for too long and became bland – the same issue I had with A Bit of Difference (reviewed below). Atta’s books often end abruptly, leaving the reader with unanswered questions and wonderings; her books never end the way you wish they would – Swallow was no difference in this respect.

[Aisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not going to rate this book yet because I think I need to let it marinate.

This book is marketed as a story that focuses on drug trafficking in Nigeria and I think that's what draws people to it; at least that was my major attraction to it. Yet it fell flat in this area, I think the portrayal of the sequences of scenarios that led to Tolani considering drug trafficking was well done. A horrible paying job, shitty boyfriend, bad economy, etc. And I think that's why the lack of focus on the main selling point of the book (drug trafficking) is so sad to me. There was so much opportunity to delve more into that plot and explore it more in the story. To show OC as the criminal he truly is, the pressure that Rose put on Tolani, these are just examples on how it could have been explored more.
BUTTTTT I will be lying if I did not give praise to the comedic aspect of the novel. Mr Biggs, Radio Nigeria, dropping of Hs😭😭😭😭😭😭.

[Bukola Akinyemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swallow is a novel about corruption, friendship, love, morality, identity, drug trafficking among other themes.

Set in 1980s Lagos during the Nigerian government’s War Against Indiscipline and austerity measures, it softly deals with the heavy themes with engaging and beautiful writing.

Sefi Atta writes Lagos well, she documents places, political events and pop culture in such a lovely way.

I don’t remember reading any other novel that is not broken down into chapters. Well the last 50 pages are in part two but majority of this story is one long continuous part one.

If like me, you wait until the end of a chapter to put down a book, be ready to drop this one midway and pick it again in the morning, there are no chapters. Saying that, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and soon got used to the lack of chapters.

[Andrew Guthrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A veritable insight into contemporary Nigeria, specifically Lagos. Two single "career" female room mates trying to keep their heads above the fray. A world seemingly with very few or no sympathetic types. I would think there would be at least one friendly person. Even the flashbacks from the narrator's mom, from the time of more traditional pre-modern villages, expresses bitterness/ dissatisfaction with the market gossips, the back-biters. OK, it is clearly a patriarchal society, in the old or new world, with much pressure on women to produce children, even if the husband is a slouch. I would probably give this a 3.5 but it ends up with a 4, though it's definitely worth a read for anyone interested in these circumstance (contemporary Africa, for example), and the title is clever allowing the reader to catch up to its various implications.

[Lolá · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been skeptical about reading Sefi Atta. I don't know why. But reading 'Swallow' has shown me how powerful a writer she is. This book is a mesh of patriarchy, class struggle, city life, vices, femininity, feminism etc. I find the characters lively. None of them is boring to read. Something is always going on for them. Tolani, the protagonist, is a conduit for the story. Despite written through a first person point of view, it's not at all limiting. If at all there are gaps, they're aesthetically done such that you find comfort not knowing.

The take away: you see ehn, this book will show you Lagos life at its peak!

[seunreads_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

💫This book is a mesh of patriarchy, poverty, vices, feminism and femininity. The book is very Nigerian and authentic.

💫The book is set in Lagos, Nigeria in 1980s. A succession of unfortunate events leads Tolani a bank secretary to be persuaded by her roommate Rose to consider drug trafficking as a way to make a living. Tolani struggled with this temptation which leads her to a road of self discovery and as well as that of her mother, Arike. I don’t want to give too much away, you just have to read it to get all the subplots as well.

💫You should consider reading it, it’s very a very short book and no boring moment.

[Ifeoluwa Adekoya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a refreshingly Nigerian read. However, it was somewhat depressing--and not in the way you'd think. It is so shitty that a book written in 2008 and set in the 1980s still mirrors the realities of Nigeria and being a Nigerian in 2021 (and not even the fun parts of being Nigerian!).

Sefi Atta is a fascinating storyteller but the ending did not do it for me. It felt like it needed a page or two of some more development of the relationship between Tolani and her mother.

However, this was a stellar read!

[Megan]

Was it possible that once a woman refused to behave herself, she could end up fighting the whole world?

Sefi! Atta! She's just so good at exploring nuanced, intense spaces in friendships and in mother-daughter relationships. I loved the structure of this book, the way Tolani's mother telling her own story was woven in with Tolani's, and I love the way she writes her endings: they feel like an arms-wide-open embrace of the big themes that were covered, a completeness of incompletion. I want to reread Everything Good Will Come soon!

[Olawuyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the simplicity of this book and how oddly relatable it was. Sefi Atta kept the message short, simple and straight to the point.
This book was the story of a young woman faced with a tough decision that questioned the very morals she lived by. An uncomfortable romantic relationship and a difficult job did not particularly help matters.

I hope you decide to read this book, then proceed to watch the movie because you'll enjoy it so much.

[Julie Mishol]

The author takes us through the countryside and then the city of Lagos, Nigeria. The main characters Tolani and Rose experience life, love, workplace harassment, drug smuggling while searching for the truth in their lives. The book is easy to read and discusses themes of religion, different viewpoints on marriage and having children, and women empowerment. Set in the 1980's. There is a Netflix movie.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book and I loved the fact that it painted a vivid imagery of Nigeria in the 1980's. I loved the characters and empathized with their struggles. The only thing I didn't love was the way, the book would randomly jump to Tolani's mother's story without any warning. However, I enjoyed her mother's story, I just wished they was a clear demarcation. Overall, it's still a great story.