'Yinka, Where is Your Huzband'

 

‘Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?’

I cannot be the only one who sees the title of this book, and answers in their head.

It goes- Huzband no dey!!!

I like this book for so many reasons, biased reasons and unbiased too.

I like it because it was written by a woman first, and secondly because it was written by a Nigerian woman.

 

Huzband. Pronounced auzband.

I enjoy how Damilola takes us on Yinka’s journey in search for her Huzband- I love how honest the journey is, the way Yinka is portrayed. Confident and otherwise, how she draws out a plan, the dynamic of her friendships, and of course her very Nigerian mother.

Another thing that stands out for me in Damilola’s work is how she shows the internet to be Yinka’s friend first, with a plethora of her hilarious search histories ranging from ‘what are the chances of meeting a guy and getting married when you’re a thirty-something woman’ to ‘Good excuses for not going to a Bridal shower’ Damilola is certainly not a stone-age writer.

It's promised that you’re going to get a front row experience to all of the drama that is Yinka’s life. From Femi, her first and now her ex, to being let go at her place of work, then Alex from aunty Debbie. You’ll also see the classic and cliché hiding your feelings under the guise of ‘hate’ with her ‘friend’ Donovan and you’ll get to see the one man that slapped her out of her trance; Marcus who chickens out when he finds out that Yinka is a vargeeeen (virgin). I won’t tell you how many times Yinka called him when he ghosted her, me too I wanted to slap her.

It’s like watching Friends, the relationship between Yinka, Jon, Ola, Rachel and Nana is just miles away from being catastrophic. Aunty Debbie, Ola, Yinka, and Yinka’s mum dance around each other to the beat of comparison, there’s nothing that will rightly explain the dizziness you’d feel when it has been sang to you severally that you could try a little better to be like another person.

The growth and transition of the characters is one that deserves a standing ovation. Yinka, being our main character went from her big chop, to a weave, back to her hair. She also went from not caring that she didn’t have a Huzband, to needing one before Rachel’s wedding, and lastly to being content without one. Her journey with her insecurities is also really beautiful to see. Yinka at the end also got to do what she loved most in the world, work in charity! There’s nothing better than doing what you love.

I love how compromises where reached, between Yinka and her mom. How her mom came to realise, in her words that ‘Happiness is the utmost Importance’.

The best part of the book, the part which will leave you at the edge of your sir is when Yinka, asks to say a prayer in church I thought her mother was going to march to the pulpit and give her a dirty slap. The next best is where Yinka gets her mum to cry, and be honest about the loss of her own Huzband.

When I said the book was a journey, I wasn’t joking, the events are categorized from January to July, a whole whipping 7 months of the year!!! If this were my life, I’d never stop sweating.

Damilola Blackburn did a beautiful job of capturing the life of Nigerian women specifically and African women at large, it however leaves me thinking about Yinka and Donovan and whether their ‘friendship’ flourished. At many points in the book, you’ll catch yourself sending Aunty Blessing virtual hugs and doing the opposite for Aunty Blessing.

I loved it, you’ll love it too.