In my previous post in the Hive Book Club community, I shared my interest in reading short stories. Growing up, I remember how I used to read a series of children’s stories—I found them interesting and fascinating. My favorite was Peter and Jane—a collection of short stories by an author whose name I no longer remember. As I grew older, I started reading a different kind of short stories—the ones that address societal issues and have deep and serious themes. One thing I love about short stories is that they are bulky, so they can be completed within minutes or hours, depending on the number of pages and the reader’s speed. If I want to make a non-reader to start reading books, I usually love to start with short stories. Primarily because their pages will not overwhelm them.
In this post, I’ll be reviewing a short story—Eden by a Nigerian writer, Uche Okonkwo Obalende. Until I came across this short story, I had never read any literary work by this particular author. However, he managed to pique my interest with this one. Eden is a short story about the harmful effect of P*rnography on a child’s mental health. More importantly, it explores the theme of bad parenting. Parenting is not an easy feat. Many parents make simple mistakes which could have been easily prevented, but because of their negligence, they fail to fulfil their duties as parents and in the end, they end up being labeled as “bad parents.”
Plot Summary
Eden by Uche Okonkwo Obalende is a short story that takes readers on a profound exploration of failed parenting and the consequences of ignorance when it comes to parenting. Madu and Ifechi are elementary school students who are very inquisitive to do things other kids did. Just like other kids, they are curious to try this and that. Their parents, like many others out there, are not always around to watch over them due to work commitments. However, whenever they are not around, they leave their kids in the care of Aunty Hope who watches over them. One day, while watching TV, Madu and his younger sister come across a disc titled “A Taste of Paradise.” Curious to know what paradise tastes like, they decide to try it in their cassette player. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know what Paradise tastes like?
That step—the big step into watching porn for the first time, changed their lives completely. From A Taste of Paradise to Psy Paradise, the kids made it a daily routine to watch prn when their parents are not around. Unfortunately for them, on a certain rainy day, NEPA (electricity company) decides to spell out doom for them. While watching their usual, NEPA interrupts the electricity with the disc still inside. How will they remove the disc before their parents return? They prayed and prayed, wished that NEPA would bring back the light so they could remove the disc, unfortunately, their prayers did not work. It wasn’t until their parents got back and settled to eat dinner that the power came back on and then violaaa!!!
My Notes
Different parents have different sexual preferences. However, in my opinion, keeping pornography discs in the house knowing fully well that you have curious kids was a bad move by the parents. At a very young age, Madu and Ifemelu are exposed to adult content. It got really bad that Madu starts having wet dreams—the very wet kind. I’m sure you agree with me that this scenario could have been avoided if the parents hadn’t brought the discs into the house in the first place. Even if they wanted it, they should have kept it in a safe space.
Hypocrisy is also one of the themes in this book. When the parents found out that their children had been watching adult content for a while, they brought out Koboko (a cane used for stubborn kids), and flogged them. They flogged them for crimes they themselves are also committing. In my opinion, using canes on kids in this type of situation isn’t the best approach. The parents didn’t even talk to them about the dangers of what they had been indulging in. Children are gullible to some extent. It would have been better if they scared them with stories and kept talking to them about it instead of beating them and expecting that it would change them.
In conclusion, I rate this story a 3.5 out of 5. I enjoyed reading it as it opened my eyes and mind to new things. I recommend this book to every book lover.
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