Book: Season of Crimson Blossoms
Author: Abubakar Adam Ibrahim
Publisher: Cassava Republic Press
Price: £9.99
Review by Ronke Lawal
Season of Crimson Blossoms is a vibrant love story set in the midst of political change and violence. It’s a Nigerian coming of age story which tackles religion, sex, wealth and power in a refreshingly poignant way.
A passionate and sensual affair between 55-year-old widow Binta Zubairu and 25-year-old weed dealer or ”area boy” Reza starts in an unusual way and culminates in an unexpected, tragic end. Insatiable passion, sexual hunger and loss draws these two unlikely lovers together, serving as a metaphor for the volatile relationship between Nigeria and its people.
Set in Northern Nigeria, we meet Binta (recently reconciled with God) who yearns for intimacy after the sexual repression of her marriage, the pain of losing her first son and the privations of widowhood. Meanwhile, area boy and local gangster Reza’s heart lies empty and hardened, waiting to be filled after being abandoned by his mother at an early age. But the implications of their affair have a much wider ripple effect than either of them could ever imagine.
Abubakar Adam Ibrahim has crafted two very distinct characters with true sensitivity and raw emotion; making you empathise with them both, despite being taboo is conversative Northern Nigerian as well as the betrayal and pain that their affair causes.
Yet even as I write the word betrayal, I ask myself, who are they really betraying? Binta has been a widow for many years, left with the responsibility of her niece Fa’iza and granddaughter Ummi while trying to make ends meet by being a seamstress. From teacher to seamstress, Binta has always placed the needs of others above her own, so when faced with sexual temptation across age and class lines, it’s understandable why she finds it hard to resist the chemistry she has with Reza.
Reza, on the other hand, is deeply ingrained in the underbelly of crime and political corruption, which gives him a taste of power and a sense of self worth he lost when his mother left him. Single and carefree, with his network of thugs in the infamous crime district of San Siro, he has nobody left to betray but himself.
A strong sense of frustration and sadness shrouds Binta and Reza’s relationship, yet they both have the opportunity to receive the love they crave from other people. In Binta’s case, it’s through Mallam Haruna, an unassuming man who desires her more than she is willing to accept. As for Reza, his father’s love for him is unquestionable.
Healing is a theme which courses through Season of Crimson Blossoms, a tale as evocative as its title. It’s through Fa’iza’s psychological unravelling, caused by the memories of the Muslim versus the Christian conflict in Northern Nigerian, which wiped out her immediate family, that we see how important it is to face our greatest torments and find a way to heal. As Fa’iza escapes into a world of romantic novels, Binta and Reza escape into the lust of their affair; but escapism does nothing to confront the deeper issues at play.
There are so many aspects of Ibrahim’s book to enjoy and celebrate. Written in such a lucid style, there are moments when the text collide to form vivid prose, bringing the story to life.
The strength of this novel is not only the fact that it’s a great piece of contemporary African fiction, but that it deals with issues not often tackled so openly in African literature. In dealing with the sexuality of an older woman in Nigeria, particularly one so deeply in tune with her religiosity, Binta represents the unspoken desires of so many women who are silenced as they seek fulfilment in the physical as well as the spiritual.
Ibrahim also reveals the challenges facing Nigerian “area boys” as they try to improve their lives or, more accurately, survive a system which has forgotten them. The multiple of family drama and cultural challenges are beautifully sewn together in this novel, and definitely has international appeal.
Season of Crimson Blossoms is a worthwhile and compelling debut from Abubakar Adam Ibrahim. I look forward to reading more of his work very soon.