The Edge of Water

Starred review from November 1, 2024
Award-winning Bankole presents a powerful and emotional debut novel that deftly explores the complexities of identity, family, and belonging. Set in Nigeria and New Orleans during the time of Hurricane Katrina, the story centers on Amina, caught in the turbulence of her parents' strained marriage and her own struggle to define herself. Unlike her sister Oyin, who seems to embrace her Nigerian heritage and role in the family, Amina feels adrift and yearns for a new life in America. But as she leaps into her dream, unaware of the impending storm, Amina is forced to confront the collision of her past and present. The complex relationships between Amina and her mother and Amina and her daughter beautifully weave together native Yoruba religion and Christianity, modernity and tradition, ultimately forming a deep reflection on fate, control, and the human condition. Bankole's writing is both intimate and expansive, drawing readers into the personal lives of her characters while addressing larger societal issues, particularly the systemic prejudice against women in Nigerian and American contexts. The Edge of Water is a gripping, heartfelt novel that showcases the promise of an emerging author and leaves readers eagerly awaiting her next work.

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January 15, 2025
A Nigerian woman moves to New Orleans and faces the terror of Hurricane Katrina. The author, who was born in Maryland and grew up in both Nigeria and the U.S., makes full use of her experiences in telling the story of Esther, a Yoruba mother, and her daughter, Amina. Esther's marriage and motherhood start with violence, and together mother and daughter weather abuse, divorce, betrayals, gossip, and economic pressure, their struggles punctuated by occasional successes. After winning the visa lottery and settling in the U.S., Amina becomes a single mother herself, and learns that living in the U.S. isn't an easy path. The story is told via Amina and Esther's letters to each other, interspersed with narration by Iyanifa, "the conduit of the Oracle of Knowledge." Iyanifa's sections add broader historical and spiritual perspective to the story; early on, she shares a prophecy of the tragedies to come. Even with dark predictions hanging overhead, this book is readable and fun--when Amina goes to an internet cafe to work on her visa lottery application, patrons are admonished: "No Naija Prince Email Scams!! Stop Embarrassing Your Nation!!!" The setting and relationships are vividly written, with details that evoke the social and economic pressures of Nigerian life. Each character is given their due, with full portraits of their histories, passions, and desires. The book becomes darker when Amina's dream comes true--adjustment to life as an immigrant and single mother is hard, and then Hurricane Katrina comes to New Orleans, putting Amina and her daughter in an untenable and dangerous situation. When things change irrevocably, the story feels hopeless, until those who remain start to act on the love they still carry. A global, multigenerational novel suffused with heart, feeling, devastation, and hope.

COPYRIGHT(2025) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 14, 2025

DEBUT Nigerian American author Bankole's first novel tackles complex themes--living in the diaspora, mother-daughter relationships, and the meaning of family and belonging. The story moves between Nigeria and New Orleans and spans more than a decade in the lives of three generations of women. In Nigeria, Amina dreams of moving to the United States to escape family drama and the traditional, limiting expectations of women. She shares this path of resistance and resilience with her mother, Esther, though their differences complicate their relationship. When Esther is forewarned of a dangerous outcome should Amina leave her homeland, Esther still supports Amina's choice to move to Louisiana. Just as Amina begins to settle into her new life in the Big Easy with her own young daughter, she and thousands of New Orleanians experience the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Bankole's innovative framing of Amina's and Esther's stories via letters between the women is strengthened by the inclusion of short missives that give voice to the high priestess Iyanifa, who provides guidance to Esther and other adherents of the Yoruba cultural and spiritual traditions. VERDICT Some of Bankole's phrasing and sentence structure is rough and/or difficult to follow, but overall this debut is a success.--Faye A. Chadwell

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