BOOK REVIEW

 SHADOW OF SHAME BY NANA OTUA OWUSUA 1

Number of pages: 171
Number of chapters: 33

PLOT/SYNOPSIS

      The novel is written in medias res. The story follows a young beautiful girl Liza. Liza is a child born out of wedlock. Her parents Fiifi and May, two emotionally distraught students fall in love (page 25) and the result of the affair is a teenage pregnancy. Their very domineering, wicked and strict parents Mrs. Albertina Enchill (May's mother) and Mr. Roger Hayford (Fiifi's father) disown their children and brutally throw them out.
 "From today I am withdrawing all my support...Now get out!" (Mr. Hayford, page 75).
        Their parents withdraw their support at a point where their children need physical, moral and emotional encouragement. Fiifi drops out of the university and May is unable to write her High School final exam.
        Mama (May's paternal grandmother) comes to their rescue and supports both Fiifi and May through out their trying experience. Fiifi's uncle (Uncle Peter) dies six months after the birth of Liza (page 90) leaving Fiifi as the Director in charge of his "Salt factory." This renews Fiifi's hope and determination to succeed.
        Liza's stubbornness, waywardness and bad association due to excess freedom and pampering by her parents leads to her expulsion from high school just before she can write her final exams (Pages 14, 91,92).
       Fiifi in frustration ignores Kofi's (His friend) advice and sends Liza to Britain to stay with a relation named Joojo believing a change of environment will change her behaviour and keep her away from bad friends. Unfortunately, Liza is a spoilt child and very extravagant, lazy stubborn and desires only "the high life." She blackmails Joojo using his secrets she finds out and drops out of Secretarial school and moves in with a friend. She cuts off all forms of communication with her family in Nigeria and Fiifi realizes that Liza is "out of sight not out of danger" (page 126).
       Liza falls in love with the son of a wealthy man Tunde who is in love with her after his girlfriend Ronke leaves for Nigeria. He falls in love with her and is totally impressed by her sexual prowess "That night, she did to him what Ronke had never done before...to have a girl who was good in bed...From that moment, Liza could do no wrong in Tunde's eyes" (page 159). Tunde teaches her social morals and helps her to mend her messed up past life and reconcile with her family. Liza decides to 'turn over a new leaf ' after observing Tunde's life and family relationship. Her new way of life can be seen in her advice to her close friend Donna (page 165).
       Liza's life changes suddenly after breaking her spinal cord in an accident with Tunde who is wounded but she is paralyzed from waist down and her chances of walking on her feet are very slim (page 169). Liza has to return to Nigeria to "continue the healing process" (page 169). Tunde in his last letter writes "My love for you is stronger than ever..." (page 170) declaring his eternal love for her and encourages her to be determined "...This is not the end of our relationship...I will make a special trip to see you." (page 171) "I know you have the special will to fight, and this is the time to prove it..." (page 171).
      The novel ends with the letter from Tunde which Liza reads in the airplane taking her home to continue the healing process in Nigeria. (pages 170;171).

POINT OF VIEW
      Third person omniscient point of view.

SETTING
     The narrative is set in Ghana (Cape coast, Kumasi, Takoradi) and Great Britain. The era the novel is set in is the post-independence era in Ghana. The letters exchanged in the narrative have dates from 1967 to 1987.

CHARACTERS

Liza Hayford
Fiifi Hayford
May Enchill
Mr. Robert Enchill
Mrs. Albertina Enchill
Mr. Roger Hayford
Mrs. Rita Hayford
Tunde Tokunbo
Mama (Mr. Enchill's mother)
Joojo Johnson
Akosua
Dr.Kofi Karikari
Alex Boateng
Olu Tokunbo
Chichi
Donna
Izuka
Mr. Tokunbo
Chief Douglas
Diamond
Mr. Patridge
Papa Peter