Wit & Grit: A Review of Iduma’s ‘A Stranger's Pose’ by Namse Udosen

It's not always you're fed with words and images that take you on such a strange journey. But here we are...

 Reviewer's rating: 3.5 on a scale of 5

This book is a collection of one man’s reflections in pictures, poetry and stories as he travels the world. In ‘A Stranger’s Pose’, the writer shares some strange experiences that lead us to places like Rabat in North Africa.

We are regaled with tales from sprawling cities, ghettos, deserts and a host of contrasting human habitations. Afikpo, Accra, Bamako, Abidjan, Nouakchott, Omduran, amongst others, are peeled open to expose their inner core. 

The writer doesn't just use words to arouse our senses; images gain a life of their own, and with words, align to tell a fascinating story. At every turn, the words seem to set themselves free, taking new forms and engaging one’s emotions.

Also, the characters pose varying degrees of eccentricity. Serge, the Cameroonian hotel room keeper is my pick of the bunch, a diligent worker who focuses on his job.

So, Emmanuel Iduma’s ‘A Stranger's Pose’ is not your everyday story collection and doesn't claim to be. The author doesn't say if it's fiction or nonfiction. He even throws in a bit of poetry here and there. It also does not follow a chronological or thematic order; call it a gallimaufry. 

The use of language is ‘upper class’ and a reader has to be patient with the plot. It's not a book to be read in a hurry. My advice: let it gently seduce you before falling into the bliss of its beauty as stories and images are stitched by a thread of human frailty. Together, they encapsulate what it means to pose in a strange land. It’s by all standards a strange book from an intriguing author, and this may hinder it from being easily embraced, yet its uniqueness is its strength.

 

Namse Udosen is a teacher, author and founder of Tanar Kaduna Bookathon, a platform that seeks to create books for children and encourage them to read.