The Liquid Eye of a Moon: A Novel
“The strength in this novel lies in Awoke’s extraordinary ability to describe the relationships between the characters . . .”
Uchenna Awoke’s debut novel The Liquid Eye of a Moon is story about loss, hope, and determination. Sometimes the hand you are dealt with in life does not support your dreams and this is the case for the protagonist of this intriguing and moving novel about an adolescent named Dimkpa who must find a way to achieve his goals in order to help his family and bring justice to them after his father is overlooked as the next leader of their Nigerian village.
In this fascinating work of fiction, there are powerfully constructed instances of hardships faced by people living in the caste system, like Dimkpa’s beloved aunt to whom he would like to bring honor to by building a proper tomb for her. “Her grave lies unweeded. Time has blurred its edges. I want to build a tomb over her grave, a beautiful tomb, to thank her for caring so much for me. But that will have to wait until I can afford it.”
The character of Dimkpa is comparable to Rudy in the movie about the real life Rudy Ruettiger who wants to become a part of the Notre Dame football team even though he is told countless times he is too small. Like Rudy, Dimkpa has big dreams of going to university and becoming something extraordinary so he can move his family up the Igbo caste system.
Dimkpa tries his best to find ways to gain wealth like when he moves to Lagos with his cousin Beatrice to become her houseboy only to participate in ruthless fights with another boy who is part of Beatrice’s staff. Terrified of being seriously injured or, worse, killed during these violent encounters, Dimkpa returns to the village where his brother Machebe, who gave him “emergency” money before he left home, criticizes him for failing to help the family. Dimkpa is now seen as a burden by the family.
He seeks comfort in his childhood friend Eke who now works at a large construction company in Awka. “[Eke] is wearing a new shirt, and a new wristwatch, and glossy black shoes. He has started to grow a beard . . .” “Let’s go grab a drink at Madam Bridget’s.” He reaches for a wallet in his back pocket. It’s full of cash. He counts crisp notes and hands them to me.” Dimkpa admires how his friend has become successful and wants that for himself, too. “I lie awake far into the night, musing over Eke’s glittering new life: his packet shirts that bear inside their lines of newness an aura of good living, his shoes that mirror my image and his necklace that catches the light, the power in his voice that drowns all other voices in Madam Bridget’s bar. My desire to follow him to Awka turned into an obsession when he said that he even worked with white men. My eyelids twitch at the prospect of earning the salaries white men earn, in hard currency.” After convincing his parents of his prospects in Awka, Dimkpa leaves the village with Eke.
At first, employment in Awka is good and Dimkpa enjoys his independence and the money he makes, but then he gets injured when he takes a side job that finds him the victim of a vicious attack. He loses most of the money he saved to his hospital bill but once he is almost healed, he finds another job that will help him recover his losses. However, tragedy strikes and he returns to the village desolate and broke. He travels home alone.
The book moves from one setback to another, and, despite Dimkpa’s determination to succeed, he always faces obstacle after obstacle. Will he ever get a big break? Can he overcome these difficulties and achieve his dreams?
Awoke’s writing is peppered with stunning images and these vivid descriptions sparkle in the bleakness of Dimkpa’s situation. “The branch suddenly snaps, perhaps with the weight of my thoughts and feelings, and I see myself easing down into the water. I step away and hug the tree in gratitude, my arms ending halfway around the huge, leathery trunk. But for the tree my father might never have found Okike’s body. She could have been swept away where my father would never have found her. I kiss the tree, the smell of its bark filling my nose like the caffeine I always smelt in Mummy’s coffee in Lagos.” Through Awoke’s poetically-charged and touching scenes, readers will cheer for Dimkpa and hope for a triumph.
In the backdrop of this exceptional coming-of-age tale, there is the Biafra story. However, Awoke does not provide enough information for a reader who is not familiar with the history of Nigeria to relate to this aspect of the novel. The story tends to diminish in its strength during the scenes connected with the meetings associated with Biafra. But Awoke draws you back into Dimkpa’s story with his lyrical and compassionate language. The strength in this novel lies in Awoke’s extraordinary ability to describe the relationships between the characters whether it is Dimkpa’s relationship with his parents, his potential girlfriend Grace or his friend Eke.
Does Dimkpa accomplish his dreams like Rudy? The only way to find out is to dive into this absorbing and well-written debut novel by an author who has much to offer to the world with his fresh take on the caste system and the hope that a single person can make a huge difference to his family and community.