Funmi lives in pure luxury, Zainab takes care of her paralyzed husband, Enitan has just separated. In "You're always a friend" Tomi Obaro tells of an unequal trio of women, of rebellion and a mega-wedding. But her debut is much more than a novel about friendship.
A novel about a female friendship? At first glance, that doesn't sound like something groundbreaking. But you shouldn't ignore Tomi Obaro's "Freundin bblst du immer" And actually that is hardly possible, because the colorfully designed cover of the book published by Hanserblau immediately catches the eye. The cover image shows a stylized depiction of a black woman wearing a festive hat and eye-catching earrings.
The book also has a lot to offer in terms of content. In her debut novel, Obaro, who works as a culture editor in the USA, tells the story of three Nigerians who met during their studies in the 1980s and see each other again almost 30 years later. But it's not just the story of a friendship: the book provides deep insights into Nigeria's everyday life and culture.
Enitan, Funmi and Zainab are "practically sisters", although the origins and paths of life of the three could not be more different. Enitan grows up strictly Christian. The studies offer her the opportunity to escape from the crushing love of her single mother. After graduation, she throws herself into marriage with a white missionary and follows him to the United States.
As reserved as Enitan is, Funmi is bold and impulsive. She has lost contact with her family, becomes pregnant and her relationship with a political activist ends in tragedy. Zainab is described as the most beautiful of the three women. She comes from an academic Muslim home. She wears the hijab more out of habit, she dreams of writing plays and falls in love with a man her father strictly rejects.
In 2015, the three met again for the first time since graduating. The occasion is the wedding of Funmi's daughter Destiny. Funmi now leads a life of luxury in the mega-metropolis of Lagos, but doesn't know how Yinka, her dubious husband who keeps staring at his smartphone, earns all the money. Destiny's wedding is set to be one of the big social events: a choreographed ceremony lasting several days with great pomp and expense, at which the family can show off their wealth. But Destiny - who is studying medicine but would actually much rather take photographs - seems anything but happy in the role of the bride.
While Funmi is in the planning stress and doesn't want to see Destiny's looks full of quiet anger, the other two friends arrive with their own worries. Zainab takes care of her husband, who is paralyzed after a stroke. Enitan, on the other hand, has just separated and is bringing her 19-year-old daughter Remi with her. It's her first time in Nigeria, amazed and rebelled at the same time. Just in time she sees Makoko, one of the worst slums of Lagos, as she drives past, shortly afterwards she is surrounded by servants in Funmi's palatial house full of kitsch and casually asks: "What does Uncle Yinka do for a living?".
Like the characters, Obaro uses her book's two timelines - college retrospection and reunion - to weave together the many facets of Nigerian society. For example, readers not only learn about the cultural backgrounds of Hausa and Yoruba women, but also the political unrest at the beginning of the 1980s. At the same time, the author repeatedly lets the dark side of Nigeria flow in, for example when the bus that Zainab takes to Lagos is kidnapped.
The fact that Obaro tells the story alternately from the perspective of the three friends is of course the ideal prerequisite for an audio book version. Abak Safaei-Rad, Alina Vimbai Strähler and Denise M'Baye give their respective protagonists their very own, unmistakable touch and transform the novel into a polyphonic listening experience.
Even if the character of Destiny ultimately creates the arc of suspense, the heart of the novel remains the friendship between Zainab, Funmi and Enitan - which Stefanie Ochel translated into unsentimental, catchy German. All three women have to deal with blows of fate, love and lose them, but their connection remains unbreakable over decades and thousands of kilometers. In the end, your nuanced portraits - whether as a book or audio book - leave just as dazzling an impression as the beautifully designed cover.
