Bad Immigrant

I remembered unfortunately being underwhelmed by the previous Sefi Atta novel I read, The Bead Collector, so decided to give her writing a second try when I saw review copies of her newest novel, The Bad Immigrant, offered on NetGalley. This story of a reluctant immigrant to America from Nigeria has an interesting premise with our protagonist, Lukmon, continually finding fault with his American life while his wife, Moriam, and their two children seem to find their feet pretty swiftly. It's not a 'happy immigration' novel. However, Lukmon tells his story in the first person so, as readers, we only ever really know what he thinks about things or the way in which he chooses to interpret what other characters say to him.

Personally, I didn't get on with Lukmon at all which I think has a lot to do with my ultimately only feeling lukewarm about the novel as a whole. I felt as though he was perpetually whining and blaming everyone else around him for his lack of American progress and his passive-aggressive attitude frequently irritated me. I can enjoy reading about unlikeable characters if I find their stories capture my attention, but in The Bad Immigrant I more often found myself wishing I were reading from Moriam's point of view instead. Lukmon's failures to engage left me unable to really understand what he wanted - other than to go back to Nigeria. It's a shame because Atta has a lot to say about racism and sexism in America, particularly in relation to the cultural norms that the family grew up with in Nigeria. I found lots to think about in the characters arguments, their opposing views of the situations they encounter opening my eyes to ideas that were new to me. However this wasn't enough to overcome Lukmon's tiresome litany of complaints.