Uncle Tunde struck me as the typical optimistic, family friendly Yoruba man. The words drew me in and I was not a mere observer in Karl and Abu’s journeys. The author’s description of the characters is graphic and lucid. The trip is laden with secrets and twists that keeps one guessing. He could not resist discovery of this previously unknown element in his life. He decides to take a chance, travel with a Paternal uncle to Nigeria, and meet them. While his mother is hospitalized, he discovers that he has a father and extended family members he knew nothing about. Growing up in London, under the care of his ailing single mother, he finds friendship and acceptance with a schoolmate, Abu, and his family. “ When We Speak of Nothing” throws light on the challenges faced by a young boy, Karl. And all of them could be right! It depends on the angle or perspective from which they looked. This shows that individuals can have the same experience or interaction, but give different accounts of it. They were both right because they saw different sides, and thus different colors, of the same hat. Thereafter, they got into a heated argument over the color of the hat. It explains how two people walked with a friend who wore a hat with two different colors on each side. The introduction Olumide Popoola‘s novel, “ When We Speak of Nothing“ is unique. We may need to ‘wear other people’s shoes’ a bit to understand how their life experiences have influenced and shaped their values, belief systems and characters. It is a lot more complex than that -with various shades of grey in between. Life is often not a simple case of black or white.
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