DubaiReader

Tracy Chevalier is one of my favourite authors and I have read most of her historical fiction novels. This is a completely different direction for the author and when I came across it as an audiobook loan from my library, I decided to give it a go.

I have to confess to not being much of a Shakespeare buff and I Googled the Othello story after finishing this. Personally, I listened to the narrative at face value, I don't really understand why authors want to make modern takes on Shakespeare's works.

Osei Kokote is the son of a Ghanaian diplomat and has been the new boy in several schools previously; he's a bit of an old-hand. Even so, he is relieved when Dee, one of the most popular girls, becomes his friend and shows him the ropes. In spite of their differences, they are instantly attracted to each other and a relationship begins to develop. 

Ian is the school bully, he sees this instant attraction and it makes him angry, he's not even sure why, but he decides to break them up using all his whiles and contacts.

Everything takes place over the space of a day and through no fault of his own, Osei's arrival in the school causes ripples through the whole school and no-one will ever be quite the same again.

I did enjoy this and the excellent narrator, Prentice Onayemi, added to my enjoyment with his Ghanaian accent. However, I would have thought it more appropriate had it been set in a secondary school instead of year 6 Primary and I didn't particularly feel that it was the 1970s, Still, small quibbles and I'm glad I came across this book.