Summer has been great so far for me, I’ve been super busy which I like. I just got back from Victoria, my softball team was participating in the provincials there. We didn’t do so well but I still had a great time, softball will always be one of my favourite things alongside reading.
A car tumbles through darkness down a snowy ravine. A woman without a name walks out of a dust storm in sub-Saharan Africa. And in the seething heat of Lagos City, a criminal cartel scours the Internet, looking for victims. Lives intersect. Worlds collide. And it all begins with a single email: "Dear Sir, I am the daughter of a Nigerian diplomat, and I need your help." When Laura Curtis, a lonely editor in a cold northern city, discovers that her father has died because of one such swindle, she sets out to track down-and corner-her father's killer. It is a dangerous game she's playing, however, and the stakes are higher than she can ever imagine. Woven into Laura's journey is a mysterious woman from the African Sahel with scars etched into her skin and a young man who finds himself caught up in a web of violence and deceit. And running through it, a dying father's final words: "You, I love."
419 is a captivating suspense novel that is unique because of the several viewpoints and characters. The author introduces these characters slowly and descriptively, some not developing until later in the story but all important to the plot. Some readers may find jumping back and forth between settings and characters confusing. My advice is to just keep reading (sung in Dory voice) everything comes together.
Something I admire most about this story is the descriptions of the cities in Africa. It takes a talented writer to completely transport a reader into another world and have them understand it, Ferguson managed this with ease. After reading this novel I feel like I know exactly what Nigeria is all about. The setting was just as important as the characters, being immersed in the different culture made the story.
The foreshadowing spread throughout the chapters really helps the build of anticipation, as well as the phrase ‘something is coming’ repeated by several characters. 419 isn’t the type of fiction to read if you want to get lost in la la land, it shows a harsh reality. I’ll give it a 4.5 OUT OF 5 because although I thought it was brilliant, it still didn’t make the favourite list.
Until next time,
- MRR
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