Baron’s Café, a publishing imprint of a media company, Fairchild Media, has announced the unveiling of a new novel: London Tailors by Friday Aja. The book, fresh out of the press, was unveiled on Sunday at its Ketu office in Lagos.
According to the COO of the firm, Oluwasogo Faloye, it is a seamless narrative that evokes empathy and nostalgia. He said the firm found it worthy of publishing because of its originality and relevance to postcolonial realities.
Faloye added, “London Tailors is a story of different thematic arms. It is a story of boyhood as well as a story of coping mechanisms to subvert hardship. It is also about the growing internet scam industry and migration. The seamless storytelling by Aja draws the readers into a world flooded by the resonances of postcolonial African countries in the shadow of Nigeria. The cinematic story makes narrators evolve consciously. They find themselves at a crossroads where they must choose within the range of their reason and exposure. The novel stresses the implications of the predisposing culture of society and how the twin evils of societal expectations and peer pressure stifle independence for young people.”
The Plot of the Novel
In the novel, Young Uba struggles to find his feet and become a man of reckoning. He desires to break the cycle of poverty in his family through education but he meets a cul de sac. After years of schooling and uncertainty, he begins to look for other routes. He is persuaded by his gnawing deprivation to join his former classmates to join the illicit business of rituals and internet scams. While he outlives the temptation, he falls into another one. Uba is now afraid to return home with nothing but a battered life.
BOOK REVIEW: London Tailors by Friday Aja
In a statement by the firm, some Nigerian authors who read the book in manuscript format expressed delight about the novel.Writer and novelist; author of Rogues of the East, Ikenna Okeh, described the novel as “A coming of age story narrated in a most seamless manner, pulling you in, only to tickle and, at the same time, rattle you…an easy and most delightful read.”
Award-winning poet and author of The Year of Fire, Femi Morgan stated that the novel (London Tailors) is a moving story of boyhood. A boy is trapped between two tough choices—Japa or Yahoo—to fit into the preconceived mould of manhood.”
Speaking on the character development in novel, Writer and former Vice Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Lagos Chapter, Eziafakaego Brenda Nwafor said: “The novel (London Tailors) is a treat for readers who love characters evolving from small towns to megacities.
“The book bears tales of juvenile mischief and exuberance, unguided ambitions, and its resultant effects. It gradually sucks you into itself; making you feel sympathetic to Uba, a young man left with a set of odd choices,” he added.
How to Buy London Tailors by Friday Aja
Copies of Friday Aja’s books can be ordered on baronscafe.com, selar.com, amazon.com, and bookstores nationwide.
The Publisher of London Tailors by Friday Aja
The book was published by Fairchild Media, a public relations, content management, publishing, art and culture curation and management, and creative enterprise firm based in Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria. With publishing imprints, Baron’s Café, Aramide, and Nostalgia Press, it engages African stories across different genres including fiction and non-fiction. Through its various brands, the firm is creating solutions for robust and sustainable media ecosystem in the marketplace of ideas.
NB: For more information visit www. baronscafe.com
