Radio Sunrise is a satirical novel about radio broadcasting and underhand corruption in Nigeria which gives a humourous insight into the problems of being a journalist for a state-funded station. Ifiok works for Radio Sunrise and things start going wrong when his radio drama has its funding cut and his girlfriend leaves him after he cheats on her, but when he is sent back to his home town to make a documentary on a government-funded project he discovers there’s plenty more to go wrong yet.

Isong’s novel focuses on hypocrisy and corruption on both a large and a small scale, but it is the smaller scale moments that really capture the satire particularly well, with journalists only writing news stories if they are paid enough in their brown envelopes. The narrator Ifiok is a naive idealist much of the time which makes him an ideal satiric character, shocked by other’s adulterous relationships and unable to stand up to the system even when he wants to expose its flaws. Isong depicts a complex mix of problems across Nigeria, but all with a light satiric touch that makes for a fun and engaging novel.

Ifiok is a journalist at a government radio station in Lagos, Nigeria. He has a lovely girlfriend, Yetunde, dreams of entering his radio series The River into the BBC Africa drama competition and his boss seems to like him. He seems well set up.

From a narrative perspective, this allows Ifiok to travel freely around the city, observing different vignettes of everyday life - whether in big business or dramas on the street with begging scams and petty thievery. Ifiok himself is part of the emergent middle class, dining in restaurants and buying Yetunde designer dresses, but not in the same league as the army generals driving around in their high black people carriers. And these vignettes are well told, colourful and often amusing.

What is lacking, though, is an over-arching narrative thread. At first it looks as though it might be a quest for funding for The River as government funding for it is cut. This could have lead to all sorts of nefarious schemes and scams, motivated by some form of community spirit. But the story line fizzles out. Instead, Ifiok returns to his family home in the oilfields and has a think about his love life. It feels like the wrong choice of narrative direction.

Nevertheless, this is a colourful, entertaining and short read. Three and a half stars perhaps nudging slightly on the side of four.

The author has very cleverly centered and discussed very important issues, unearthed things that some of us would rather look away from, or pretend doesn't exist. All this without seeming for a moment to shove agenda down the readers' throats. Very well done.