Joyce Odukoya: #SectorIV Review

SectorIV is a treat for lovers of fictional historical romance. It takes place during the Biafran war in a village called Nchara in present day South East Nigeria. The book explores various themes which resonate with the reader including love and sacrifice, loveless marriages, childlessness, self-preservation and vanity as downfall.

SectorIV adopts a unique style as it is written in present tense. This brings the book alive and keeps the reader actively engaged with the story.  I particularly liked the names of the four parts of the book (Revelation, Exodus, Chronicles and Genesis) which I thought captured the content of each part very well.

The characters in the book speak to you and are relatable and the writer ensures that the characters have a story within the story.

The best thing about SectorIV is its unpredictability. The writer makes it quite difficult to second guess what happens in the book and captivates the reader. My favourite scene is the sex scene between Onyinyechi and Duke which is very unusually but beautifully written.

The author set out to write a love story which takes place during the Biafran war and I think she succeeds. The ongoing war does not detract from the main idea of a love story and the relationship between the choices one makes and the consequences of those choices.

The only dip in the otherwise engaging plot is the beginning of the fourth part, though that is only because of how intriguing the rest of the book is.

SectorIV is a romantic tragedy which is set around the Biafran war, inevitably there is suffering, death and destruction but what I found really tragic was that the story ended without Onyinyechi really knowing…really knowing what? Well, you would have to read the book to find out.

As I read the final paragraph of what was a brilliantly written novel, my main thoughts were captured by this quote: “Vanity can easily overtake wisdom. It usually overtakes common sense.”

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