Yinka Where Is Your Huzband by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn has created an original and engaging personality for her main character in Yinka Where Is Your Huzband. Yinka was born in the UK to deeply religious parents of Nigerian heritage. She is committed to her Christian faith, but when her mother stops the dancing at a family party and insists in praying openly for Yinka to find a husband, it is too much to take. In an effort to boost her status as a successful career woman, Yinka makes a foolish boast. She also resolves to find a plus-one for her cousin’s upcoming wedding. These two knee-jerk reactions lead to conflict and confusion for Yinka, and lots of laughs for the reader.

Yinka is a thirty-one year old South Londoner who doesn’t believe in sex before marriage. This sets her apart from most of her contemporaries and makes it difficult to find a first date, let alone a husband. Undeterred, she makes a plan and sticks to it. It helps that she is part of a wide and warm community where her principles are understood and appreciated.

Sadly, Yinka has to overcome unresolved resentment before she can claim the support of her sister and female cousins. Yinka is intelligent, sociable and fun, so eligible single men come her way, but they inevitably turn out to be lacking in commitment or understanding. During a series of hilarious adventures Yinka learns to concentrate on getting what she wants rather than what other people want for her.

With great affection, Yinka Where Is Your Huzband gently pokes fun at the Nigerian diaspora in London. I enjoyed reading about Yinka’s multitudinous aunties, the matchmaking after church services and the kudos of being able to cook Nigerian food and speak Yoruba. I especially love the title, because it mocks the outdated notion that a woman’s status depends on being chosen by a man.