Title: Against All Odds
Author: Chioma Jessica Uchendu
Publisher: Mindex Publishing Comoany Limited
Price: Not stated
Reviewer: Dan N. Onyekwelu
When she debuted into the literary world last year with her first novel “The Unfortunate Philanthropist”, Miss Chioma Jessica Uchendu announced to the world that she is just a bunch of talent waiting to be tapped. But being so young both in age and in the world of creative writing, one would suppose that it would take a while before we hear from her again, nevertheless, within the space of a year, Chioma has again shown that like wine that matures better with age, what she gave before was just a tip of the iceberg so to say.
And so with a big bang she has just launched another bestseller with the title, “Against All Odds”. A beautiful and interesting story; woven intricately around the life of MIRACLE an orphaned girl, who is the central character in the novel. With this feat, Chioma has not only carved out a niche for herself, but has also come to consolidate her status in the literary world as an up-coming and formidable talent whose giant strides are just beginning to manifest.
Set against the background of our modern day society, “Against All Odds” is a clear exposition of many of the societal vices and virtues we encounter in our everyday life. Chioma, with her characteristic use of simple language to explore in a very interesting manner very complex life issues, employed a very technical literal skill of flashback to render a thrilling and captivating story of the interesting and indeed miraculous life of MIRACLE right from her childhood. In so doing, she was able to portray and explore very succinctly, Man’s inhumanity to man and the Miraculous and saving grace of God.
In a nutshell, “Against All Odds” is a thought provoking story of Miracle, an orphan; who suffered a terrible childhood experience with people that are supposed to protect her, yet goes ahead to achieve her life dreams despite the odds stacked against her from the moment she was born. The major themes are, the evil in Sex Preference and Gender Inequality , and some harmful cultural practices against women in the Igbo society. The sub-themes include, envy, wickedness, child abuse, betrayal, determination and perseverance, forgiveness, love, and the flip side of polygamous marriage in the Igbo society.
It is a tale of suspense, intrigue, hatred, wickedness, forgiveness and success presented with excellent literary skill and style.
In fact, the story of Miracle’s life ladened with high and explosive emotion is the story of humanity. It clearly depicts the journey of life especially among the less privileged in the society. However, it also shows that with perseverance, determination and hard work, there is hardly any limit to what one can achieve in life even with all life odds. Another interesting and beautiful underlying reflection in her novels that can only be discerned by literary minds is the dispassionate innocence that flows from a pure heart and this impacts her story to become even more captivating and alluring.
Indeed with this second novel, one can boldly say without any fear of contradiction that Chioma Jessica Uchendu has not only arrived on the literary planet but has made a distinguished mark. This book will inspire readers of all ages and is a must read for everyone.
*Onyekwelu is a Public Affairs Analyst and lives in Enugu, Nigeria.
