Seyi Ajomale’s “Victory” is Rife with Intriguing Mythology Revolving around Fish! #LiterallyWhatsHot

This week’s Literally What’s Hot pick is from okadabooks.com newcomer Seyi Ajomale,who weaves an intricate story set in the small village of Attiyari but yet rife with deep and intriguing mythology. The review by okadabooks.com still recovering but struggling book addict Nimide Ogbeun below …

When I started reading Seyi Ajomale’s Victory, I thought, just as you might think when you read, that it was just about fishermen and big fishes, and festivals in the small village of Attiyari. But boy was I surprised!

The Attiyari village was filled with fishermen and fisherwomen and was governed by myths surrounding the riverine area where they all lived as a closely knitted community. It is by one of Attiyari’s set rule that Lori became the provider; the provider being the one who caught the biggest fish during the day of the fishing festival.

The provider becomes some sort of ruler, the bringer of hope, and is showered with gifts and adoration all through the reigning year. It is with the writer’s introduction of Lori that I began to see what this book had in store for me in life’s lessons.

I learnt, just as Lori did, that victory and success are not entitlements. Rather, they are worked for and sought after with diligence of the mind. When Lori, a man who the people of Attiyari almost worshiped as a god, had the first taste of failure, his inability to take in the setback, to accept it as a form of challenge for the next festival, sent him spiraling into a dark abyss.

One filled with envy, self-loathing, jealousy, reproach, disgrace and in the end shame.

Lori is just like a number of people in that we get so used to having our way, to having it easy, to reaching out hands into the air and receiving everything we desire from life that at the first sign of trouble, we crumble and are turned into empty versions of ourselves.

Fortunately, by some inner strength and perhaps divine enlightenment, Lori was able to draw himself up from his minor setback, see his previous victories as gifts and not as entitlements as he earlier presumed.

What is more inspiring is that even though, he tried again and still didn’t catch the fish that would seal him as provider   (NOTE: Lori did not try to catch the big fish again as the towns festival for the year was over but he went to the sea on a regular fishing trip), his new faith did not waver.

He knew, as we all should know, that there might be failures and brick walls today but the sun will rise tomorrow.

This short tale is one we should all read and in reading, understand the lessons it so accurately teaches as it would help us take life easy like Lori learnt to do in the end.

You can read the Seyi Ajomale’s Victory for FREE here at Victory: The Full Book

Nimide Ogbeun is a book addict lover, an unrepentant coke addict and a hopeless romantic. When she’s not trying to expand her shoe closet or dreaming up the perfect getaway, she works as the Assistant Editor of StyleVitae.
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Images courtesy of Seyi Ajomale