“Wahala” - Nikki May

 

⚠️ Wahala means trouble or turmoil in Yoruba. When you’ve gotten deep into this novel, you see the title is very apt. It centers on three Nigerian-British girlfriends: Ronke, Simi, and Boo. A new woman, Isobel, joins their tight-knit group, and seems to inspire the three friends’ worst instincts at every turn. 

⚠️ “Wahala” was an excellent read, and I’d definitely recommend it. Full disclosure, it did leave me unsettled. Three-fourths reads like a broody, relationship drama, and then it abruptly morphs into a psychological thriller.

⚠️ At first, it reads like Isobel is just casually sowing chaos into the three friends’ lives; cruel but superficial fun on her part. Then it starts to read like its deliberate sabotage. But why? The uncertainty affected me because I couldn’t figure out how to compartmentalize Iso. Is she spoiled? Bratty? Extremely self-entitled? Or is it something darker and ominous? If May was aiming to unsettle the reader, she succeeds!