Point-of-the-Golden-Spear: A Good First Shot

Fascinating with a power to convert every reader into a deep thinker, the new book by child author, Chukwuebuka Nworisa hits the bull’s eye on contemporary relevance, says Yinka Olatunbosun

At 10, the wealth and depth of fictional stories that occupy Chukwuebuka Nworisa’s imagination are simply beyond his years. His latest literary offering is a 110-paged collection of short stories titled “Point of the Golden Spear and Other Stories.” As a young writer, Nworisa’s writing style is predictably familiar, reminiscent of the oral storytelling tradition. Still, the stories are woven around a tiny voice that emerges from an observant Epe boy. There is no denying the ties between the fictional stories and the realities on which the writer has been weaned. The charismatic writer gained admission into Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Model College, Ibonwon, Epe at the age of nine. He was the youngest in the class of 25. As the leadership streak in him charged forth, he became the class captain.

It was while he held this position that he sought out time to write these amazing stories that are laden with wisdom, humour and intrigues. If the book was a television series, we could certainly need a commercial break in between the episodes because every story demands a moment of meditation after reading. As simple as it is to read, the encoded moral messages in the stories are not for skim readers.

Point of the Golden Spear, a first from the young author, is packed with themes of heroism, leadership, love and jealousy, bullying, hope, existentialism and environmentalist ideology. Despite being a typical children’s literature, the stories in the collection resonate across age brackets.

Take for instance, ‘The Entrepreneur’ which delves into the story of a young unemployed graduate who decides to retrieve an innovative project from his alma mater to earn a living and change his life forever. That singular story can provoke dark memories of many dreams of our youths that had been locked away or buried under the rubbles of retrogressive thinking.

Bola’s lot in life changes for the better because his father reminds him of his ingenious project that is in the custody of his alma mater. That twist also suggests the impact that parental guidance has in shaping a child’s future.

And if you are a reader that loves being humoured by a storyline, then one of the short stories in the collection titled ‘The Poison Woman’ is a must-read.

At the risk of revealing too much, one can say that it is a typical comedy of errors around friendship and matrimony. Certainly, Nworisa is a daring young writer who surprises his readers with his mature subject matters.

Farming and fishing motifs run across the pages- a natural mental preoccupation for a writer who lives and studies in Epe community in Lagos. He infuses the elements of agrarian life skills in resolving conflicts of poverty or survival in stories like ‘The Lucky Farmer,’ and ‘Point of the Golden Spear.’

Published by Bookworks Publishers, Nworisa’s book has an understated relevance for our contemporary society with that title. Its wide range of societal issues positions the budding writer as one who is committed to societal change.