Water Baby

As a teenager, I was obsessed with having pen friends all over the world. From comparing stories about school with Vera in St. Petersburg to sharing videos of house parties with Angie in Minnesota, I had a real thirst for finding out more about the way people my age were growing up in different places. I can’t remember how I was first introduced to Ade in Nigeria, but I do know I was instantly fascinated by just how different our every day lives seemed to be.  Whilst we sent letters back and forth for a number of years, we sadly lost touch in our late teens as our lives diverged in different directions, but it was the fond memories of our connection that sprang to mind as soon as I started reading Water Baby by Chioma Okereke.  Set primarily in Makoko, a floating slum close to Lagos, this is a captivating and evocative tale that had me utterly engrossed.  I know I will be thinking about these characters for a long time to come.

Baby has grown up in Makoko, a vast and vibrant floating city that has grown extensively across the lake as time has progressed. Brutally ignored by the Nigerian government, the residents face significant challenges, from basic sanitation to the fundamental needs of clean water and electricity. At 19 our heroine is working various jobs to be able to bring money home, including running a boat taxi service across the water, but she longs to be a “dream girl”, part of a new project using drones to map the vast slum settlement.  Battling her father, who fears government conspiracy and plans to marry her off as soon as possible, and looking out for her younger brother Charlie Boy, Baby has her hands full. When 2 chance encounters suddenly open up the potential for a very different future -away from the only home she has ever known – Baby has some tough decisions to make.  Is she ready to spread her wings and reach far outside her comfort zone? Or is Makoko where she is destined to spend her future?

I have no words to express just how evocatively Okereke portrays the community of Makoko. The descriptions of the slum created such a crystal clear picture in my head that I genuinely felt like I was there, pungent smells, drifting sewage and all. But her real skill lies in being able to simultaneously depict the extreme levels of deprivation of this environment whilst never once detracting from the vibrancy and warmth of the people who live there. Baby and her friends are focused on boys, clothes and make-up just like any other teenager across the world, acting as a powerful reminder that humans are driven by similar longings no matter what circumstances they are born in. Water Baby tackles some really complex themes with immense humanity, from poverty and climate change to the challenges experienced growing up as a young woman in an often patriarchal society, and all I can hope is that one day we can return to find out more about these characters and their lives. I would absolutely love to read more of this exceptional author’s writing.

This novel is a poignant reflection on the ways in which freedom and privilege can mean so many different things to different people, and it has encouraged me to contemplate the opportunities I have been given in my life in a whole new way.  With memorable characters, credible dialogue and a thoroughly absorbing plot, Water Baby captured my heart and mind in a way that few books ever truly achieve.  I highly recommend reading this.