Season of Crimson Blossoms

Written by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim

Narrated by Hassana Maina

From one of Nigeria’s most exciting and distinctive new storytellers comes a debut novel that is already making waves across the African continent.

An illicit affair between 55-year-old widow Binta Zubairu and 25-year-old weed dealer and political thug Hassan "Reza" was bound to provoke condemnation in conservative Northern Nigeria. Brought together in startling circumstances, Binta and Reza discover a need that only each can satisfy in the other. Binta, a grandmother of five, yearns for intimacy after the sexual repression of her marriage, the pain of losing her first son and the privations of widowhood. Meanwhile, Reza seeks to lessen the pain of estrangement from his mother, and the increasingly remote link to his father, by seeking solace in an unconventional emotional and physical relationship.

Through Binta, we follow the intimate daily life of a Muslim Hausa family—where life revolves around domestic disputes and divorces, friendship and whispers, and religious instruction at the madrasa. By contrast, Reza is the selfpronounced Lord of San Siro, an urban cesspit that is home to a gang of misfits, outcasts and thugs.

The situation comes to a head when these two worlds collide, with disastrous consequences. This story of love and longing—set against undercurrents of political violence—unfurls gently, revealing layers of emotion that defy age, class and religion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781980079514

Abubakar Adam Ibrahim

Abubakar Adam Ibrahim is a Nigerian writer and journalist. His debut novel, Season of Crimson Blossoms (Cassava Republic 2016) won the $100,000 NLNG Prize for Literature. He is a Gabriel Garcia Marquez Fellow (2013) and a Civitella Ranieri Fellow (2015). Ibrahim was a 2018 Ochberg Fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. In May 2018 he was announced as the winner of the Michael Elliot Award for Excellence in African Storytelling, awarded by the International Center for Journalists in New York.  

Reviews for Season of Crimson Blossoms

[erickas-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

On the surface, this novel is about the story between Binta, a 55-year-old grandmother, and Reza, a 20-something drug dealer criminal. Set in northern Nigeria, this affair is really a representation of the repressiveness of the culture of Muslim Hausa society. Binta is grieving the loss of her son, Yaro, and finds maternal redemption in her love for Reza. In turn, Reza finds solace in loving Binta, who reminds him of his mother who abandoned him when he was a child. I found this Oedipus/ Jocasta relationship quite distasteful at first, but I accepted it to learn the reasons behind it.

There are themes of unfulfilled dreams, repression of grief and loss, and how violence only begets violence. Ibrahim is critical of these societal mores and presents a sad story against the background of political upheaval and misogynistic religious oppression. Other characters in the Binta / Reza orbit are suffering from PTSD and feelings of betrayal from society’s lack of sympathy to violence and encouragement of sexism. It affects everyone, and eventually the discovery of the affair causes an explosion in this cultural crucible.

Though the setting and characters are interesting, the story was at times repetitive and in the middle became tiresome. The ending was powerful. It’s a complicated story with an important message, and is definitely worth your time.