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When We Speak of Nothing

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When We Speak of Nothing

By: Olumide Popoola
Narrated by: Ben Onwukwe
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About this listen

Best mates Karl and Abu are both 17 and live near King's Cross. It's 2011 and racial tensions are set to explode across London. Abu is infatuated with gorgeous classmate Nalini but dares not speak to her. Meanwhile, Karl is the target of the local "wannabe" thugs just for being different. When Karl finds out his father lives in Nigeria, he decides that Port Harcourt is the best place to escape the sound and fury of London, and connect with a Dad he's never known. Rejected on arrival, Karl befriends Nakale, an activist who wants to expose the ecocide in the Niger Delta to the world, and falls headlong for his feisty cousin Janoma. Meanwhile, the murder of Mark Duggan triggers a full-scale riot in London. Abu finds himself in its midst, leading to a near-tragedy that forces Karl to race back home.

The narratorial spirit of this multi-layered novel is Esu, the Yoruba trickster figure, who haunts the crossroads of communication and misunderstanding. When We Speak of Nothing launches a powerful new voice onto the literary stage. The fluid prose, peppered with contemporary slang, captures what it means to be young, Black, and queer in London. If grime music were a novel, it would be this.

©2017 Olumide Popoola (P)2021 Recorded Books Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Africa England Queer

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All stars
Most relevant  
A beautifully written story of growing up in inner London, with all its challenges. The descriptive parts of the book pull you into its world ,with the dialogue the icing on the cake.
I am not sure the narrator does justice to the protagonist's voice but after a while you get used to it and the story is strong enough to overpower this minor problem.
The twist is so subtly and respectfully treated that many may miss it,which I suppose is the objective.
Thoroughly enjoyed this!

Lyrical, heartwarming with a twist..

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the mature super deep voice and slomo narration does not fit at all to this coming of age story..hard to bear. I tried a couple of times but had to give up after a minute each time...disappointing

slow narration of a 50yo doesn't match teen tale

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