Easy Motion Tourist By Leye Adenle Book Review — Ayomiku Popoola
Easy Motion Tourist is the story of Guy Collins, a British journalist who was sent to Lagos to cover the upcoming elections. He had expectations of a lively Lagos where he will have the time of his life according to his ex-girlfriend and colleagues that have visited but the reverse was the case after his first night out at a bar where he saw a mutilated corpse for the first time in his life, an encounter with the cunny Nigerian police force and a romantic friendship with a lady that runs a non-governmental safety organization for prostitutes who is on a revenge mission. A city that is second to the country’s capital turns out to be a handful of various crimes and illegal acts by its forerunners
GENERAL COMMENT
Easy Motion Tourist by Leye Adenle is a novel set in contemporary Lagos that mirrors the dangerous events that unfold in the city of Lagos during the pre-election period. The writer’s ability to present it in a realistic manner with an in-depth flow of emotions from a foreigner’s point of view makes this work of literary art nothing short of a worthy masterpiece. This political satire unveiled the life of law enforcers and bourgeoisies in the country behind-the-scenes through the lives of characters like Chief Olabisi Ojo, Ebenezer Amadi, and Inspector Ibrahim who are known to be notable men in the society but they partner with touts and hoodlums secretly to commit crimes in order to satisfy their selfish reasons.
Reading through the book, few things stood out about the writer, his ability to explain everything with careful detailing. He described the nook and crannies of Lagos Island so well that anyone who has never visited that part of Lagos can use this book as a guide to move around, and someone who has been there is bound to feel nostalgic while reading. Another thing I liked is how the narrator used different situations to show various themes like the extravagant lifestyle of the rich people in Lagos.
“…she took me to the News Cafe at the Palms Shopping Mall in Lekki, the car park in front of the complex was crammed with Mercedes and BMWs. I counted six Range Rovers in the row we parked in. There was a Ferrari between a Bentley Continental and a Porsche 911. I was still looking at it when a white Rolls Royce Phantom pulled into a parking space. I had never seen so many luxury cars in one place at the same time.’’
There were parts in the narrative that were a little over-explained but readers will appreciate this novel for the fact that it took them on a journey and guided them through it.
ON LANGUAGE APPROPRIATION
I liked how each chapter carried a piece of the story with beginnings and endings that carried the weight of a well-written novel but also retaining a huge amount of suspense to keep the readers interested in what happens next.
CHARACTERIZATION
The narrator described each character in a well-detailed manner in order to understand their roles and also making it clear that we were seeing the story from the point of view of a foreigner. The story also encapsulated certain features in each of the characters especially in the main character Guy Collins as an individual on a mission but also showcasing his humanness by painting his weakness as an emotional person who develops a soft spot for any opposite sex he has a sexual encounter with. There were some characters in the story whose parts did not get the attention they deserved like Florentine for instance, although the writer tried to use her story as a preview to the main discourse in the prologue of the novel and she was later mentioned by Amaka in the course of the story, her character was not really detailed like the lady whose corpse was found by the road-side even though they carried the same significance.
I loved the character of Amaka most of all, I believe it was the most well-thought-out character of the bunch. She was an embodiment of a ‘Lagos Big-Girl’ who is independent and loyal to the woman-folk and also knows how to use her feminine woes to manipulate people in order to have her way. She has a firm appearance and still has some little empathy inside her. The character of Inspector Ibrahim also made sense. It revealed the state of the governing system; how the police force that has been assigned to safeguard the citizens are the ones doing more harm to them.
STORY STRUCTURE
There were parts in the story I found oversold and overstretched, like the details of events of Catch-Fire and Chief Amadi’s deal. The oversold descriptions of robberies which did not drive the narrative anywhere as far as I saw. The writer laced the chapters with a strong sense of emotions and created vivid pictures of relatable events that happen around Lagosians every day like kidnapping, road-side prostitution, ritual killings, and armed robbery.
ON NIGERIA
The author did a very good job by choosing Lagos as a setting for this narrative which helped him to touch vital issues like prostitution, rituals, class segregation, bribery and corruption at its peak, and the selfish mindset of an average Nigerian citizen in which patriotism is considered a waste of time. The importance of narrating the story from a foreigner’s point of view cannot be overemphasized because the writer was able to draw home a vital point which is the fact that we might oblivious of how damaged we are as a country until we move out and grade ourselves without any iota of sentiments.
SUGGESTIONS
It will not be out of place to suggest that this novel should be adapted into a movie. The author’s detailed description of events, characters, and his use of a realistic setting already serve as a guide. This book reminds me of a Nollywood movie namely; Kemi Adetiba’s “King Of Boys” but this will novel will serve as a script for a bigger and better movie with political discourse.
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