Hail Mary, Funmi Fetto
Hail Mary is a beautiful and profound collection of short stories, spanning the lives of nine woman with different upbringings and trajectories. Nkechi has worked for a household in Lagos for years when the nights become too much to bear. Malicious rumours expel her from her post, and she’s left to pick up the pieces as usual. Riliwa is desperate for freedom and independence so takes the decision to move to London. However, she soon finds out that the grass isn’t always greener, and some friendships cost a lot more than just time and kindness.
Collections of short stories can sometimes be hard to lose yourself in, but Fetto’s writing transports the reader straight into each story; you’ll be woven into their lives in an instant, which is highly commendable in short stories.
All Fetto’s women are true and deep souls. We understand their being and their drives quickly through her efficient but effective character building. Even though some stories are perfectly encapsulated in a shorter format, the strength of the character building and development in each of these nine tales is so good that I’m sure they could each be extrapolated into a full size novel that readers would devour.
The collection shows such a spectrum of women in a bid to absolve the simplistic nature of all women experiencing the same factors in life. Fetto’s writing will leave readers wanting more in such a positive way, and fans of brilliant literary stories will love this book.
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