Press

Reviews

‘Buoro’s debut is an absolute riot: a defiantly original, messy, bustling bildungsroman. Through the charming characterisation of fifteen year old Andy, Buoro dismantles dusty preconceptions about what it might be like to grow up in contemporary Nigeria. Andy’s voice is utterly unique: witty, digressive, imaginative, rhythmic. And the strength of his tender feelings and young ambitions are so beautifully captured by Buoro. A hugely affecting novel that thrums with aliveness.’ – Alex Preston, Betty Trask Prize judge, 20 June 2024

‘Among all of this year’s fiction, [Andy Africa] is a standout. Here is tragedy of a high order, and so relevant for our understanding of why so many young people are trying to flee Africa. Set in a predominantly Muslim town in Nigeria, it is a fantastic coming-of-age tale.’ – ‘The Top 10 … Books: Fiction of 2023’, Otago Daily Times, 08 January 2024

‘A heartbreaking portrayal of the challenges facing modern Africa, an unforgettable main character and a devastating ending. A strikingly original new voice.’ – ‘Beautiful beginnings: the first books that made their marks in 2023’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 December 2023

‘[Andy Africa] caught me with its very funny yet tragic espousal of American and British slang, employed by Andy in a kind of deep-laid self-negation, and its characters who glitter off the page fully formed and irresistible. I’m always hoping, when reading fiction, for something audacious and formally interesting and this novel was a refreshing example of that.’ – Diana Evans, ‘Books of the Year 2023’, Granta, 12 December 2023

‘This is extraordinary, driven by a gloriously eccentric central character. It is utterly compelling, not shy about posing difficult questions for the reader.’ – 2023 Nero Book Awards Judges, 21 November 2023

‘“Andy Africa” is a great book.’ – ‘Coming-of-Age-Wahnsinn im Postkolonialismus’, Der Spiegel, 02 October 2023

‘Animated by a lively voice and a spiritual vision, Buoro’s novel […] unfolds a touching critique of the false promise of Western transcendence.’ – ‘Briefly Noted’, The New Yorker, 14 August 2023

‘A coming-of-age novel with a twisty, tragic backstory, presented via a lively and comic voice, with vivid descriptions and still more vivid secondary characters. This debut’s beauty is in the compelling main character: Andy is artistic, political, visionary, influenced both by his Nigerian upbringing and his interest in Western pop culture.’ – ‘The best debut novels of 2023’, GQ, 4 August 2023

‘Memorable … Exuberant … A thoughtful novel of contemporary Nigeria.’ – Sun-Ra-Like’, Australian Book Review, July 2023

‘From Nigeria comes this modern and refreshing debut by Stephen Buoro. It is full of humour, yet one of the most savagely unflinching looks at the curse of Africa in recent memory.’ – ‘Why a black boy who loves blonde girls spells danger’, The Straits Times, 9 July 2023

‘This is a sad and beautiful novel, alive with hope, smarting with sorrow, with all the energy of youth, the vibrancy of a story urgently needing to be told and a crystalline new voice to tell it.’ – ‘Heroic epic tells story that needs to be told’, Otago Daily Times, 8 July 2023

‘The pleasure here is as much in the journey as the destination, with sex, terrorism and, er, catechisms in the mix. Buoro has energy to burn.’ – ‘We’re gonna need a bigger suitcase: this year’s 15 must-read summer books’, The Independent, 6 July 2023

‘This is a masterfully written novel – intelligent, emotional and passionate.’ – The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa review, Good Reading Magazine, June 2023

‘Andy Africa is not your usual coming-of-age story. Buoro is a writer who can blend humor and big ideas.’ – ‘Mathematics Meets Storytelling in Stephen Buoro’s Debut Novel Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa’, Brittle Paper, 22 June 2023

‘Funny and heartbreaking.’ – ‘The best books to cosy up with this winter’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 June 2023

‘A heartwrenching coming-of-age story … This debut novel grapples with identity and contemporary African life all through its beautiful prose.’ – ‘15 Books by Black Authors to Read in 2023’, USA Today, 25 May 2023

‘Buoro has written a playful, vivid, breathtakingly intelligent novel.’ – ‘A dazzling Nigerian novel and a history of undersea exploration’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 May 2023

‘The debut novel by Nigerian-born Stephan Buoro, is a sizzler. … highly original…’ – ‘Out of Africa’, Good Weekend, May 2023

‘Buoro’s writing is bold, daring and sweeping.’ – ‘Coming of age in black and white’, The Weekend Australian, 13-14 May 2023

‘Romance, dark humour and social commentary through a 21st-century young African man’s eyes – Stephen Buoro has triumphed in bringing these to life.’ – ‘Review’, News24, 11 May 2023

‘The complexity of Africa is at the heart of this dazzling coming-of-age story.’ – ‘Siren Calls’, The New Zealand Listener, 8 May 2023

‘Buoro gives us a wholly original coming of age story, but also a tragicomic snapshot of modern day Nigeria.’ – Review, The Crack Magazine, April 2023

‘The ending is one of the most staggering since Evelyn Waugh’s A Handful of Dust.’ – ‘Legends, sisterhood and visions of Africa – a round-up of debut novels’, Financial Times, 24 April 2023

‘quite exceptional’ – ‘This week’s best new fiction’, The Mail on Sunday, 16 April 2023

‘Stephen Buoro’s first novel is funny, vulgar, and wrenching.’ – ‘To Do’, New York Magazine, 10 – 23 April 2023

‘A literary blockbuster … A voice that is upbeat, familiar, catchy and breezy as a pop song … Storylines are set within Buoro’s vibrant, nuanced representation of Nigeria. He does not exoticise or sanitise Africa for the western gaze. Instead, he presents west Africa’s complexity and contradictions … Buoro commits to representing diversity within Blackness, the way Toni Morrison does.’ – ‘The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa – high-risk comic debut’, The Guardian, 13 April 2023

‘Craft and verve abound in this tragicomic coming-of-age debut fuelled by the lapel-grabbing voice of its 15-year-old narrator, Andy.’ – ‘Literary Fiction’, Daily Mail, 13 April 2023

‘Enthrals . . . Punchy . . . Buoro’s writing deserves to inspire a generation of superheroes.’ – ‘The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa – sex, superheroes and teenage bluster’, The Times, 8 April 2023

‘Buoro is a writer of imagination and flair … Andy Africa is an unforgettable character: an old soul, goofy and generous, who dreams his evanescent dreams while battling his friends’ joshing and his own longings. The challenges facing young people—among them poverty, corruption and the vision of life in Europe and America that social media peddles—are one reason contemporary African literature is rich in coming-of-age stories. For its sheer energy, The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa is among the best.’ – ‘Wit and wisdom in “The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa”’, The Economist, 5 April 2023

‘Hilarious and heartbreaking and full of surprises.’ – ‘The best new books for April’, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 4 April 2023

‘A fascinating story about coming of age … announces Stephen Buoro as an exciting new voice in fiction.’ – ‘12 Must-Read Books of April 2023’, Chicago Review of Books, 3 April 2023

‘An energetic debut … this bold, spirited tale deserves attention.’ – Review, Publishers Weekly, April 2023

‘Buoro deftly blends low-brow humor with sophisticated religious and literary references, elevating this highly anticipated novel to a poignant lament for a country and its children.’ – Review, Library Journal, April 2023

‘A smart and incisive coming-of-age tragicomedy.’ – ‘The best new books in April 2023’, i, 31 March 2023

‘Funny and poignant.’ – ‘10 books to add to your reading list in April’, Los Angeles Times, 31 March 2023

‘funny, raucous, and most devastating’ – ‘31 Books Coming Out This Spring That You’ll Love’, Buzzfeed, 14 March 2023

‘A harrowing tale of youthful resilience and survival.’ – ‘Morrison Short Story; Recitatif, Five Sorrows, and Black Earth Wisdom’, New York Amsterdam News, 9 March 2023

‘Buoro is an exciting new literary voice emphatically carving space for himself.’ – Review, Booklist, 1 March 2023

‘An exhilarating, tragicomic novel that questions what it means to come of age in Nigeria today … A voice unlike any other.’ – ‘Meet the 10 Best New Novelists for 2023’, The Observer, 8 January 2023

‘A bildungsroman of impressive ambition and depth … Unforgettable … A novel of ideas and a literary page-turner; an invigorating, tragicomic tale of teenage yearning, love and identity that grips you with its twisting plot and spirited prose.’ – ‘Book of the Month for April 2023’, The Bookseller, January 2023

‘Exuberently funny coming-of-age debut.’ – ‘2023 in books: highlights for the year ahead’, The Guardian, 31 December 2022

‘A barnstorming, heartbreaking debut … this assured, engaging book, will make you fall in love with teenager Andy Aziza, and will undoubtedly make a star of Stephen Buoro.’ – ‘The best new fiction books to read in 2023’, Harper’s Bazaar, December 2022

‘A blazing debut – smart, subversive, funny, heart-breaking’ – Kamila Shamsie

‘I fell in love immediately … Eccentric, profound, timely, specific; it has global concerns and a really, really brilliant central character’ – Max Porter

‘Beautiful, intelligent, and heart-wrenching’ – NoViolet Bulawayo

‘Filled with lovable, memorable characters … This novel is at once funny and heart-breaking. Most importantly, it’s honest’ – De’Shawn Charles Winslow

‘Unashamedly, brilliantly intelligent’ – Sarah Perry

‘Wonderfully vivid … Instantly engaging’ – Ian Rankin