Nikki May’s debut novel, Wahala: A Novel, follows three Anglo Nigerian best friends. Ronke, who wants happily ever after and 2.2. kids, is dating Kayode, who her friends think is just another in a long line of dodgy Nigerian boyfriends. Boo, who has everything Ronke wants but is frustrated, unfulfilled, plagued by guilt, and desperate to remember who she used to be. And finally, there’s Simi, the golden one with the perfect lifestyle. No one knows she’s crippled by impostor syndrome and tempted to pack it all in whenever her boss mentions her “urban vibe.” And though her husband thinks they’re trying for a baby, she’s not. When high-flying, charismatic Isobel explodes into the group, it seems she’s bringing out the best in each of them. But the more Isobel intervenes, the more chaos she sows, and Ronke, Simi, and Boo’s close friendship begins to crack. Moderating is cultural critic and writer Carole V. Bell.
Nikki May on Wahala: A Novel: Fiction
Nikki May on Wahala: A Novel: Fiction
May, Nikki
Nikki May is Nigerian British, born in Bristol and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. At 20, she dropped out of medical school, moved to London, and began a career in advertising, eventually running a successful agency. Her debut novel, Wahala: A Novel (Custom House), follows three Anglo Nigerian best friends. Ronke, who wants happily ever after and 2.2. kids, is dating Kayode, who her friends think is just another in a long line of dodgy Nigerian boyfriends. Boo, who has everything Ronke wants but is frustrated, unfulfilled, plagued by guilt, and desperate to remember who she used to be. And finally, Simi, the golden one with the perfect lifestyle. No one knows she’s crippled by impostor syndrome and tempted to pack it all in whenever her boss mentions her “urban vibe.” And though her husband thinks they’re trying for a baby, she’s not. When high-flying, charismatic Isobel explodes into the group, it seems she’s bringing out the best in each of them. (She gets Simi an interview in Shanghai! Goes jogging with Boo!) But the more Isobel intervenes, the more chaos she sows, and Ronke, Simi, and Boo’s close friendship begins to crack. Wahala is a sharp, modern take on friendship, ambition, culture, and betrayal.
