I feel like this book was a bit disjointed, but it was a quick read, vibrant and youthful, with a healthy dose of sorrow, as the title implies. I liked Andy, but felt this story could have been a bit more cohesive.

This is a contemporary novel about a teen boy in Nigeria who has many different people and influences all vying for his attention. He has strong women role models, including a teacher/family friend who preaches deep Afrocentric understanding. At the same time, he is deeply in lust with the local English preacher's blond, white daughter. He is best friends with a local Muslim girl who is not-so-secretly in love with him but holds him to some standards and two goofball/immature sidekicks who play at his baser nature. On one level, there is the high school shenanigans storyline, perfect for a YA audience but firmly routed in Nigerian issues. And then another storyline about his secretive mother who will not divulge who his father is, eventually coming out to another level of drama.

A lot is going on in this book. I liked the tensions at play, the sly way the author poked fun, and everyone- including the reader. I appreciated the complexity of his community, while I found him wholly annoying, as I do with most teen boy protagonists in YA- the bravado, the sexual obsession, and the machismo all evident as they work through their coming-of-age stories. I found the last section of the novel to be rushed and abrupt. It packed a punch, for sure.

I am glad I read it, but it was a mixed bag for me, ultimately. I think this would be a very interesting book for a bookclub to pick up as there is a lot to explore and talk about in the work.

I would like to thank the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this coming of age story that handles very important and relevant themes. I highly recommend this one.

Set in contemporary Nigeria, 15 year-old Andrew "Andy" Aziza, the titular Andy Africa, is the narrator of this coming-of-age slash religious salvation tale who hangs out with his friends and lusts after blondness. He's wry and self-deprecating, a winning if exhausting narrator who can't stand most things about his hometown, Kontagora, the Muslim-Catholic community clashes, his country's culture, the difficulty in leaving, anything really that isn't English or American, the cool he thinks those countries and its inhabitants possess, and he pines and lusts after a British girl who with her whiteness and blondness has come to visit her uncle, the local priest. A novel with an A side not given enough, and a B side given too much - why is uninteresting Eileen such a focus, and the course of Andy's infatuation with her treads the expected path. Two plotlines: Andy hanging with his "droogs" and the rom-com aspect with Eileen; and the second Andy's relationship with his single-mom photographer, his father whose identity is unknown to him, and more. Fun and vibrant but I never fully fell into it.

Thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for an ARC

Andy Africa has an unhealthy obsession of white girls, particularly blondes. How does a teenage Nigerian boy develop such an obsession? Western tv shows of course. Andy is a spirited young man who dreams of escaping Nigeria and all of its’ attendant issues. The author has a humorous prose and even includes some poetic interludes, because Andy is a budding poet. For a debut, this is an unforgettable experience, as we follow along with Andy and his friends to see if he can achieve his dream of escape. While he is plotting his eventual escape, he also is desperate to know his father. The mother, hides this information from Andy, and readers will know and understand why.

This hiding has caused a rift between Andy and his mother, and she becomes another reason why he looks forward to escaping Nigeria. Although humor and fun undergird the writing, there is some seriousness here and much to ponder about conditions in Africa, and Nigeria in particular. Does Andy ever get to meet a real live white girl? Well yes, and the outcome is filled with everything Andy ever conjured up in his mind about what a white girl would be like. This is a different type of novel coming out of Nigeria, and the author has risked alienating some, by Andy’s obsessive and compulsive behavior, but Stephen Buoro is courageous and bold in penning this story and it’s a wonderful debut. Thanks to Edelweiss and Bloomsbury for an advanced DRC.

i absolutely adored this one - honestly loved the writing style, the settings and themes (identity, race, community, self) explored. laughed, cried, savored it to bits !!!! thank you net galley

I really tried to read this one but the format on it was difficult and I just could not get into the characters of this novel. I know it has great reviews but I was unable to get through it. Maybe I'll try to come back to it again at a later date as the premise of the novel is up my alley.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing for an advance reader's copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinions.

8/10

What an incredibly crafted, masterfully written debut novel this is from Stephen Buoro (can I call you Steve? Stevie? Steph?)

I’ve got to admit, when I first started the book I thought it was a weird cadence with odd writing and a confusing story. I wondered how I’d get through.

Sometimes it takes a little bit for the mind to get in the flow of an authors writing style. Maybe it’s just me that has that problem but, well, I do.

Once I understood all that was happening in this book I realized how brilliant it was.

Andrew is a 15 year old super smart kid who lives in poverty with his mother in northern Nigeria. Amidst the backdrop of horrendous violence and downright poverty, Andy has incredible education, a strong curiosity for learning and a close group of best friends.

But he also is infatuated with blonde white women. And when he meets Eileen, a blond British girl, it’s as if she embodies his ultimate dreams. Meanwhile, his classmate Fatima - who sounds like a truly amazing girl - is in love with Andy.

The story follows a complex serious of emotional, physical and identity battles as Andrew struggles to learn and accept who he is and where he comes from.

This is an incredible debut with writing that is uniquely Stephen Buoros.

Open up your mind and read it.

#netgalley #andyafrica

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/XY9DJfR6dmA

I'm not sure I need to say much more than this: this is the best coming of age story I have ever read.

The five sorrowful mysteries of Andy Africa is a coming of age tale not really quite like most others. It is very internal and we spent a lot of time inside of Andy’s mind as he navigates relationships with women and his family as he comes of age during war in Nigeria. The narrative style was difficult at times to follow but Andy is what drives the story and makes it memorable and worth reading. Andy experiences a wide range of relatable emotions and struggles and most readers will find themselves instantly drawn and connected with him. A solid and interesting debut-just slightly too experimental with style for my preferences.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via netgalley!

A brilliant coming of age story so unique so involving.A story that is gut wrenching at one moment and the funny at another.A story that kept me turning the pages #netgalley #bloomsbury

I want to start by explaining that some of my favorite stories to read are those that fully immerse the reader in the mind of the narrator. Especially when that narrator is someone vastly different than me. This book does a perfect job of just that. Andy is the epitome of a brilliant teenager who still has all the quirks of being a teen.

If you're looking for a fascinating coming of age story with complex and lovable characters, you've found it. There are so many moments of heartbreak and delightful absurdity to balance each other out. Together they tell a phenomenal story!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was really hard to imagine before i started reading it. Thematically, it kept making me think of the poem "We Were Happy During the War," which i think of often--how we just live and have regular love and struggles between our family and friends and community while things are really hard around us, in the world and in our lives. People die and we have crushes. Nightmares come true and we hang out with our friends. Battles rage around us and we listen to music. We write poems. We connect.

I appreciated reflecting on that and the book really brought it to life. Overall, though, the book was not my favorite. The pacing wasn't my favorite, and there were parts where i was unsatisfied. Some pros, some cons! Solid 3 stars!

The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa by Stephen Buoro is set in Nigeria, which includes approximately 250 ethnic groups. The religious population is split between Muslim, Christian, and Indigenous religions. Even with so much diversity, Nigeria has a history of civil wars and political unrest. The history of Nigeria is fascinating. I'm still learning.

The book follows Andy as he learns the secrets of his own life and life in Nigeria in general. He is a teenager with a brilliant mind but not the best relationship skills. His mother is incredibly protective of him and will not tell him who his father is. Most people believe that Andy's father is her ex-husband but Andy doesn't think so.

Andy is also obsessed with blonde women. When he meets Eileen, the first young white woman that he has seen, Andy falls in love. They have a brief relationship but I don't think it is what he expected. Interracial relationships can be difficult. He begins to think more about what love really is in all of his relationships - with his mother, his friend Fatima and his Uncle.

He thinks about leaving the country someday. Would it be the best thing for him? Would he be running away from the truth or towards it? Andy does quite a bit of reflection about how things should be and how he needs to grow. I am reminded of the quote, "Wherever you go, there you are." A person can't ever escape themselves.

Recommendation

Personally, I enjoyed reading the story from Andy's perspective. He is so intelligent and yet still does dumb stuff that teenagers do. He is funny but still kind of mean and selfish. It is really great to see how he changes and matures.

If you are a fan of coming-of-age books, then you will probably enjoy The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa.

If you are not interested in learning about different cultures, religions, or people, then your life must be truly boring. Stop being boring - read a book!

The writing style may not work for everyone but I found the book to be gut wrenching and slightly, absurdly funny at the same time. liked it overall. Looking forward to future works from the author

If you've landed on this review, others have likely already described the book better than I can, all I can add is my own experience with this unique Nigerian coming of age story.
This book is about complex relationships (human/country, mother/son, friend/lover, deceased/survivor, beauty/ugliness, poetry/wreckage, hope/defeat... I could go on), but significantly the struggle between the body and the brain.
I found it to be heartbreaking and hilarious, and very smart. The poetry throughout was never flowery, but always impactful, giving us a glimpse into the heart of our beloved Andy Africa, full of intellectual curiosity, and carrying the burden of his mothers ruin from the very start, without fully comprehending why.
I love a book that teaches me, and I was soon researching foods, anti futurism and massacres. What I found in researching the terms and events of a culture I'm largely ignorant of was compelling, curious and heartbreaking -- just like this unforgettable novel.

The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa was a beautifully written book. While the subject matter was sad and tough to read at times, I really enjoyed my time with the book.

This was a hard hitting book. The words was gut wrenching I think that as soon as this book comes out everyone should immediately go get a copy and read it

Such a vibrant story that really allows you to connect with the characters. I know some people aren't a fan what has been called "flowery writing" but Stephen Buoro does a good job with balancing his style and keeping the reader engaged. He doesn't shy away from difficult subject matter but I think that's what makes the book such an enjoyable read. You're able to laugh, cry, and yell with the characters. Definitely a book I would recommend.