Leo Onyiriuba

Twisted fate Leo Onyiriuba

"Twisted fate" describes conflicts which life sometimes introduces when individuals seek to fulfil their dreams. It sheds light on how and why some people fulfil their dreams where others fail. Set in Nigeria - a country with the largest black population in the world - it mirrors how the people situate happenings in Providence. The novel challenges readers to discover and harness their endowments - the gifts for which they have passions. It disabuses people who carry on with life in despair. Unfortunately, a lot of people tend to interpret their condition based on some superstition. Doing so, they ignore the need or fail to reinvent themselves. Consequently, they don't make a success of life. Getting to grips with forces that shape the outcome of life - the way Ike did in the novel - is critical for success. Life is a decisive influence in the novel. On occasion it manifests its harsh realities - defying reason and unleashing ordeals on its victims. Helplessly mankind has had to live with an uncritical but rational mind that life's phenomena encompass necessary vicissitudes. Solving all of life's questions is not beyond the realms of possibility. But doing so, how to find appropriate responses to the dictates of life, intriguingly belongs in the spiritual realm - some would say. In this way life continues to take a toll on its victims. From endless struggles to quit the rat race to curious manoeuvres to know what the future holds in store, life still holds sway - all the way through human existence. People who make a success story applaud life for its fairness, while the unfortunates bemoan that life is unfair to them. Yet everyone learns the lessons of life among the living in the school of experience. The unpalatable truth is that human desires - usually seen in people's lofty dreams and ambitions - and the realities of life are often diametrically opposed. This fact crystallizes when chickens come home to roost as was evident in the experience of Ike - the protagonist of the novel.