(3): A Weird Hope (Synopsis)

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A Weird Hope is my novel, which was published by Century Research and Publishing Limited, Kano-Nigeria; 2012.

STUDIOUS freshman Abubakar has a romantic notion that love and studies can be taken along concomitantly, whereas his urbane confidant, Salim regards so doing as an aberration and hence a threat to their future and lives. He defiantly flouts the admonishment. This eventually coincides with the time his consanguineous relationship with his ravishing cousin, Maryam Bako develops to a full-pledged love relationship.

Bako, a conservative, avaricious father of Maryam forbids her to attend any school beyond the college, which she is only able to finish under the auspices of Abubakar. She’s finally lured and vanquished into marriage with one rich, miscreant Alhaji Usman alias Maisunan. The marriage has been arranged—typical practice among some traditional Hausa/Fulani communities—since she was a baby. The father is indebted to what Maisunan’s father did to him when he was helpless. Unluckily for him and luckily for her, the loveless marriage is short-lived; for, a few months into it the tycoon is arrested for his shady, snooty businesses and sentenced to life imprisonment.


Abubakar has already gotten a new girlfriend, a better one, as he believes for she will be a path for him to the El-Dorado—the mighty United States of America. Shahada Bukhari, a witty, go-getter daughter of the newly appointed Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S. is brought to her grandparents in Kano to learn her native language and to get married. She, against all odds, rebuffs her parent’s proposed man because of Abubakar. They are to return soon, and the father vows that his daughter must get husband here in Nigeria. The parents hence pressurize her chosen one to come aboard for their marriage or else…

The divorced Maryam appears volte face before Abubakar and their love is rekindled. Yet he feels unable to desert Shahada for her. Amidst this qualm, their semester result comes out; he’s eventually withdrawn from the university. He was lovesick—due to Maryam’s marriage—during the exam. Things exacerbate to the extent he couldn’t withstand the pressure; he becomes raving mad. Hearing what befalls her old-lover, Maryam who has months’ old pregnancy instantly falls sick. She’s later tested HIV positive and finally dies of Eclampsia at giving birth.  

As soon as Abubakar recovers, his marriage and Shahada is ultimately solemnized without any fanfare because they have to leave the country on the day. On their way to the airport, along with Shahada’s father, they heard an announcement that the present government is over-thrown by the military, therefore all boarders are to be closed, and no plane will be allowed in or outside the country. In frustration and haste to escape being apprehended, Ambassador Bukhari crashed the car into an avenue of deeply-rooted mahogany trees.

*The end of the novel is actually (read: deliberately) obfuscated: after the accident, the newly wed couple are shown rejoicing over the birth of their first child. As a somewhat supplement, this is written in italics to suggest to the reader that the incident is either a dream or a wishful thought by both or either of the couple.

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