Book Title: An Abundance of Scorpions

BOOK TITLE: AN ABUNDANCE OF SCORPIONS

AUTHOR: HADIZA ISMA EL- RUFAI

GENRE: FICTION

REVIEW BY: READERS LOUNGE (I.G: @readers.lounge)

An Abundance of Scorpions is set in the Northern part of Nigeria centred around the life of Tambaya who on the day of a joyful Islamic celebration lost her family to a drastic accident, still devastated about her loss she learns that her late husband had some debts to pay. She gathers herself and sets off to Ghana to stay with her brother while looking for a job, when the situation in Ghana becomes less conducive she moves back to Abuja, Nigeria and through the help of friends gets a job as a matron in an orphanage.

Tambaya is strong despite all her trials and she is no pushover, this can be seen during her stay in Ghana when here sister in law tried to bully her and also when working as a matron in the orphanage.

Her strong sense of family values can be seen in the way she relates with her in-laws and also her brother whose child she had to bring under the orphanage care and also the method she used to prevent anyone from adopting him till her brother returned. 

Have you ever wondered how some children in the orphanage came about their names and religion? This novel has some answers to that and it begs to question the manner in which we use to defend somethings.

What if you were to discover that you were born of christian parents but they passed away when you were a baby. The orphanage took you in and by the system run there, you became a Muslim without ever knowing of your Christian origins and later on adopted by a Muslim family. Such are the cases of the children in the orphanage, they have no tribe just religions. That is what happened to Tambaya's nephew from a Muslim to a Christian, if her brother does not return, would she claim her nephew back without consequences?

Will Tambaya allow herself to love again? too bad the author does not tell us.

The book was a good read and it gets an 8/10 from me (I am generous like that) 😉