A poignant, moving and entertaining coming of age story with a mix of math, blondes, religion and being a teenage in Nigeria.
I liked Andy who fall in love with the first blond he meets and loves math and Church. And the descriptions of life and tensions in Nigeria are well done and sad.
The author is a talented storyteller and liked the style of writing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Sorry, requested it by mistake as I already read and reviewed it

I'm grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this captivating book. From the first page to the last, I was thoroughly engrossed in the story, unable to put it down. The characters were well-developed, the plot was gripping, and the writing was superb. Overall, I immensely enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to fellow readers. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this wonderful reading experience.

Stephen Buoro's debut novel, The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa, takes place in modern Nigeria. Its central character, Andy Aziza - who is known by the much hated name of Andy Africa - is in search of a white, blonde girlfriend. So when blonde and beautiful Eileen is met at a church party, he is smitten. The party becomes a pivotal moment in Andy's young life, and through the prism of the young lives at the heart of his novel, Buoro is able to shine a light into the beating heart of modern Africa.

This is a raucous, funny, and charged novel. Buoro can certainly write - it's not a surprise to learn he is a graduate of the UEA writing school which has produced many fine talents. He wears some of his influences clearly - Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange is a touchstone here. It is refreshing to see a gritty, honest portrait of contemporary life in Nigeria. This is a fine debut and I am already in animation of Buoro's second novel to see where it takes him. Fab stuff.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Andy Aziza is a Nigerian teenager struggling with the usual teen angst and trying to find his way in the world while labouring under the hated nickname of "Andy Africa". Andy spends his days hanging with his cronies Slim and Morroca when he's not at school or in church. Andy is obsessed with the thought of finding a White Girlfriend and when the arrival of the blonde and beautiful Eileen in his town is celebrated with a church party in her honour he's smitten. That party proves to be pivotal in Andy's life in more ways than one and fate has a lot more in store for him just as he thinks his dreams have come true.

The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa is an excellent read, Debut author Stephen Buoro paints a gritty picture of life for the poor in Nigeria,the daily struggles and squalor,the religious divides ,the frustrations and dreams of those with thwarted ambitions who see moving abroad,anywhere abroad,as the only way to a decent life. Andy is far from perfect,he's also far from stupid and aside from his obsession with blonde women he's a fan of complex mathematical theorems.

The ending of the book leaves scope for a sequel so hopefully we'll hear a lot more of "Andy Africa".