Towards the last quarter of 2018, Purple Shelves Publishers, Nigeria would be releasing The Last Carver (TLC), a well-crafted novel written by Ositadimma Amakeze in response to the growing concern about culture continuity and bequeathal of traditional values to the next generation.
Set in pre-colonial Igboland, the much-anticipated novel is evocative of the spellbinding effects of old-style African classics such as, Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. It makes insightful use of proverbs and nuanced narrative flair that portray African lifestyle in its pristine stage.
“In the generous and colorful deployment of folk wisdom and culture lies the depth and strength of The Last Carver. In this inter-cosmic world of man, masks, and masquerades where words are sent on gnomic errands are messages that transcend fiction to reality. This is whom we are, our own very story recollected in print,” said Chinyere Chukwudi-Okeh, author of From the Crevices of Corps Hearts.
The plot revolves round Omenka, who takes the centrestage immersing the readers, navigating through the intricacies of cultural ideals which the present, in all its romance with exogenous influences, must consistently recourse to in order to retain its characteristic glory.
Poet, novelist and a priest, Osita seems to have a knack for exploring ancient stories that have inexhaustible relevance and this trait comes to the fore once again as it did in his 2014 novel (Teeth of a Snail). TLC is another colorful feather in his prolific career cap, one that would undoubtedly receive resounding applause from the public.
