Fire on the tip of Ice is a collection of stories about everyday life, rendered simply yet engaging.
Fire on the tip of Ice is a collection of 9 stories. It is evident from the start that these stories are written by someone with an understanding of humanity.
Irora is a story of heartache and the pain of motherhood. Adeola struggles to keep her marriage and raise her daughter while handling post-partum depression. We see her go through the indecision of becoming her own person, the break of trust in a woman’s life, suppressed and beaten down by traditions. Married to the man of her choice, living the life she always envisioned, Adeola’s life should have been perfect–the husband, the child, the perfect home, but that was not to be. It is a story that shows the author’s admiration and respect for the power a woman wields over her own destiny and future. It is a theme that reoccurs throughout the stories.
Any Nigerian University student will read Absolved and find it relatable. It is an accurate portrayal of the education system. It shows the everyday concerns of the Nigerian student from the eyes of someone who has been through the system. Dr. Bako is the typical University lecturer who’d condemn all that is wrong with the system while telling you to suck it up and deal. His prediction of change is at once a source of comfort to his students and an ocean of guilt that swallows him whole.
Fire on the tip of Ice touches on the everyday struggles of a woman in a society that sees sex and all matters concerning it as taboo. It exposes the effects of hypocritical traditions that are detrimental to the emotional state of the women.
Soiled brings to light the horror witnessed in boarding schools where the seniors rule with iron fists. It sheds light on the not-often-talked about issue of abuse of young boys.
In the story Handshake, we see our country’s corrupt law enforcement through the eyes of an innocent civilian caught in the crossfire. It captures the world ridden with vices, yet seeks better times.
Flight draws its reader to the bank of emotional manipulation that gives birth to violence. Abu, a Fulani herdsman married to a Christian woman bears the brunt as he tries to keep himself away from the new insurgency rising in the name of religion, even as he starts to doubt the futility of fighting back. It is an on-going battle we face in life, to think for ourselves or let others take the decision; Abu swirls in this vortex until he realises the decision has been made and only the consequences matter.
Through the eyes of a child, Take a Step ushers us into the world of a mother’s constant worry against the backdrop of superstitions and clashes of beliefs as we see in Adinoyi, where Anavami’s child is sick.
Book : Fire on the Tip of Ice
Author : Halima Aliyu
Publisher: Kraft Books Limited
Page Number: 80
The reviewer, Habiba Malumfashi has her bio in the members’ profile section.
