My Mind Is No Longer Here introduces us to 4 young men desperate to find green pastures away from Nigeria. Donatus, a low achiever who has quit his dead-end job; Haruna, a grieving doctor tired of the crooked Nigerian health system; Osahon, a former university frat boy/cult member wanted for murder and Chidi, a university drop-out.

[center]“Do you eat degree? (…) Have you been hungry before and you just brought out your certificate and look at it and the hunger disappeared?"[/center]

These men find themselves in the clutches of Yinka, an enterprising criminal mastermind and self-styled travel consultant. Yinka has the money and connections to get them out of the country in record time. As well as the ability to get them “jobs” once they reach the other side. All of which will be done at no cost to the boys.

Now, if someone came up to me with this type of offer, I’d politely excuse myself ‘cos I know I won’t last long in KiriKiri. These men, however, were either gullible or in denial, and allow themselves get dragged into the depths of depravity that come as a side dish to free rides.

The story, told from the point of view of the 5 main characters, keeps no secrets from the reader. This serves to intensify the thrill as we get to realise the special package of trouble Yinka has in store for these poor suckers while they, are going through various stages of excitement. From Osahon, who can’t wait to update his Facebook page from the airport to Haruna, who’s about to quit a promising, if stunted, career as a surgeon.

Reading about human trafficking on the news is one thing. Watching it happen, even in fiction, to people you wouldn’t expect to be vulnerable to this kind of exploitation is something else. Nze-Sylva creates such outrageous scenarios, they must be true and I have to wonder how he knows so much about the criminal underworld in Lagos State. He does a great job in pointing out that with enough desperation and hopelessness, many of us would let ourselves go to places we wouldn’t dare think about normally.

[center]“When your home cannot offer you a bed to sleep peacefully, your neighbour’s home becomes appealing.”[/center]

Read More: https://homelandreviews.com/2017/03/22/book-review-mind-no-longer/