In 'Wahala,' intimacy at times morphs into enmity
Nikki May's novel captures issues of modern city living: women's evolving roles in home and work, interracial relationships, multicultural identity, and competition that runs under many friendship.
In Nigerian culture, "Wahala" means trouble. In Nikki May's sharply observed debut novel Wahala, trouble's name is Isobel, the new girl who shakes up the equilibrium in a tight group of Anglo-Nigerian friends.
Boo, Ronke and Simi have been friends for over a decade. They're all British and Brown, "mixed race" women with white, English mothers and Nigerian fathers. They bonded over that common identity and emotional baggage at university a decade ago. Even though their specific family dynamics vary, they've all got significant "daddy issues." The women's relationships are intimate and intense
