The Glamour & Grief of a Family Unwound
Review by Lauren Powell
Talk of the Party by Foluso Agbaje
The Talk of The Party, Folouso Agbaje’s second novel, whisks us away to hot few days in Nigeria's Lagos, and keeps us guessing until the final few chapters. Throughout the book, readers are taken on a journey during the days leading up to the birthday bash of the year, celebrating 60 years of matriarch Bukola Obinale, through the eyes of a colourful cast of characters all grappling with their own secrets while trying to feign excitement for the ensuing soirée.
At first their stories appear to be a somewhat disconnected series of unfortunate events, but as the tale continues to unfold, we come to see the interplay among the characters - and their deep-seated issues. The heat rises against the party countdown, and by the time the champagne corks are being popped, so too are tensions bubbling over. For all these reasons and more, the PR comparison of this book to TV hit The White Lotus and novel-turned-show Big Little Lies is well placed.
Despite Bukola doing everything she can to build the perfect life - the big house, the handsome rich husband, the successful children - not all is as it appears. With one daughter, Lala, having an affair with a married man (who turns out to be not so far removed from the family's close circle), a model student grandson, David, in trouble at school for sharing pornographic images, and another daughter in London, Omi, claiming to love - gasp - another woman, this family saga is not short on grappling with modern issues. It is also set in 2022 with reference to face masks and deaths from a disease no one understands - an unexpected backdrop which still feels weird to read about even as someone who lived through the coronavirus pandemic.
A few flashback scenes give us a glimpse into what the elders were like back in their university days, and how Bukola and husband Wale came together - a fun interlude, until we realise the foreboding of drama to come held in these earlier memories. One such dramatic thread is the unravelling of why Bukolo treats the orphaned cousin of her own darling children, Anjola, with such contempt.
The youngest of those darlings is a boy, Mide, who grows into a man entrusted to take over his father's business. Desperate to impress, he spends much of these chapters sweating over a bad investment, unable to bask in the joy of learning his wife is pregnant.
While the men in this story are integral to the tale, it's really the women who shine through, navigating what it is to be a good mother / daughter / sister / friend / wife / girlfriend / mother. And still be a person for and of themselves.
In that sense, there is something here many women readers will resonate with.
But for all the characters, their problems often stem from trying to live up to others expectations of and for them, and what we go through with them as individuals is the heartache and strife this can cause. When so-called failure strikes, they all deal with it in different ways. The eldest daughter, Koko, catches her own unravelling, before coming up with a practical approach to try and prevent the issues her son David is dealing with from reoccuring. A sign of her “fixer” position in the family perhaps? Omi leans into the need for truth-telling, while Mide does all he can to cover up his challenges until he can sort them himself. While Lala realises life with a married man might not be as easy as she thinks, her ally Anjola is dealing with her own matters, making a plan to move away from this family that no longer feels like home... or does it?
To a lesser extent but still forming an interesting thread, the story also deals with class, wealth, and the power of money, though I'm sure my reading of this as a Brit will be different from those who grew up elsewhere, and not least Nigeria. Domestic staff is a normal part of life for the Obinale family, and their peers, and though we are aware they have some serious money - as demonstrated by shopping trips while in England to London's Harrods, and the boutiques of Italy's Florence - even less wealthy Aunty Tade, with her peeling wallpaper and near-empty store cupboard, has held onto her cook through the years. We also see loyal driver Mr Peter’s disbelief in the Obinale’s Christian God come back to bite them all - in more ways than one.
The Talk of The Party is a rich tale, and though at times I might have felt it a little slow, it is worth getting absorbed in the well formed character development, before the intrigue and ensuing drama reaches its peak as we arrive at the day of the party - full of surprises, not least for us readers. If you’re in need of a summer read for your sweaty commute, or to enjoy on a sunlounger while sipping a cool cocktail, this is a book for you.
Lauren is a Welsh writer based in London, UK, and publishes regularly via her Substack, The Navigation, as well as writing for other independent outlets. Alongside working as a product manager in EdTech, she undertakes creative freelance projects including event management, solopreneur strategy support, and editorial work. When away from her desk she is usually reading, brunching, or at a yoga class.