BOOK REVIEW: PIECE&PIECES BY PAUL UGBEDE

…fresh, riveting and dynamic…

The Blurb

A young lady’s illness and death is attributed to diabolism as her family ignore medical diagnosis… A youth corper posted to a rural community adapts to his environment by reporting to his basest instincts. A village’s tribal divisions comes to head quite tragically against the backdrop of an illicit affair… The personal dilemma of poverty and hopelessness among young Boko Haram recruits… A village is thrown into confusion as its most virile bachelor dies in suspicious circumstances and a futuristic tale on when baseless ideologies high jack government policies.

This collection of short stories gives a stark narration of forgotten parts of modern society and speaks to the oratory nature of how Nigerian stories are told.

Paul Ugbede’s ability for storytelling has been celebrated in plays with over ten productions to sell-out audiences. In this his first collection of short stories he has mirrored society in a real and telling way.

Category: Fiction

Publisher: Paperworth Books

Published: 2019

Pages: 170

Review – ★★★★ (4 stars)

I enjoyed reading Piece&Pieces by Paul Ugbede. The stories are different and refreshing. I loved the exploration of new cultures and traditions. I loved the fusion of the old and the new – the traditional and the contemporary. I loved the questioning. Unlike short stories that leave you hanging, the stories in this collection leave you less restless.

The most intense story for me in this series was The Incident. A story about a village’s tribal division and how it comes to head quite tragically. The humour in Obete Ogbege and His Nine Inches got me in stitches and Ayiki Allah made me cry.

Paul is intentional about his stories and characters. You see this in the way they are unapologetic about their actions. The stories in this collection are truly Nigerian and when I was done with the last story, I found myself craving for more.

In his words, Piece&Pieces are not just stories – they are pieces of our lives, dark secrets we try to hide, each piece a slice of our laughter, tears, happiness, hopes and aspirations.

I recommend!

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Paul Ugbede has a BA in Mass Communications from the University of Jos, Nigeria and is currently the Director, International Centre for Playwriting Development in Africa (ICPDA). He is the author of several published and performed plays to include Drooping Palms, Raping the Land, Trading Places, Two Characters Undefined, August Meeting, Fela: Arrest the Music, Dialing Love and Our Son the Minister. His articles and short stories have appeared on Waza Online, Muwado and Jalada Online. His play Fire in the Night and Other Stories was included in the 2014 Writivism Anthology edited by Sumayya Lee. Paul is the winner of the inaugural Beeta Playwright Competition. He lives in Lagos with his family.