When fate crafts cosmic collision in Lizi Ashimole’s ‘The Other Insider’

By Raphael James

THE Other Insider (Kraftbooks Limited, Ibadan; 2025) by Lizi Ashimole contains 194 pages, divided into three parts. Part 1 is titled ‘O ga Adigide? Which is a question, ‘and ever shall be?’ and Part one starts with Agatha. It reads: “Part 2 is titled ‘Otu O di mbu’ and its divided into Ogbonna (time before time) ‘Adumekwe’ (late 40s), ‘Akpudike’ (1950s) and ‘Timothy’ (Mid 60s). Part 3 is titled ‘O di ugbua’ with ‘Agwawunma‘ (the 70s). Its captivating cover is design by Umana Nnochiri.

Part 1, ‘Agatha’ opens with: “I died and woke up in love. As I looked into the dove grey flecks in his brown eyes, unbidden flowed the recollection of the red dotted leaves of a vegetable that had sprang up in the designated patch of my primary school garden. I didn’t plant it. No one did. It had sprouted on the edge of the well-moulded ridges that conformed to the Agric Master’s specifications. I remember planting the seedlings my mother had bought and given to me as part of our “operation feed yourself” school project. The nursery was all nice and green before I transplanted it as instructed; inches and feet apart, to give room for blooming on the ridge. When we last had field practicals, my ridge was glorious with growing vegetables, all healthy and green in colour It had won me the admiration of the usually hard-to-please Agric Master. And now, this!”

Ashimole narrates the story of ‘Ogbonna’, how at age 14 he emerged into the world brimming with dreams of power, belonging, and dominion over his community. His birthright is freedom, his aspirations boundless. Yet fate, an invisible hand sculpting destinies, ushers in a cosmic collision of intentions that redefines his very existence. In an instant, he is no longer merely Ogbonna; he becomes an ‘Other’, a force unknown to his world, a presence that unsettles the familiar patterns of belonging.

From that moment, his lineage is marked by a dilemma that spans generations, rippling across time like echoes in a cavernous expanse. His descendants, each shaped by the weight of history, struggle to carve out their identities, to chase dreams that should have been theirs without contest. They yearn for acceptance in the spaces they inhabit, spaces both intimate and public, where love, recognition, and self-worth are not freely given but relentlessly pursued.

Their stories, stretching across the ages, unfold in agonizing layers. Ancient narratives intertwine with the modern, each tale a testament to love’s battle against the immutable template of Otherness. In some moments, love rises triumphant, bridging the chasm between rejection and belonging. Yet, there are realms where love falters, where the forces of exclusion prove stronger, leaving behind haunting echoes of pain and longing.

Ogbonna’s story is not just his own; it is a legacy, a question without a simple answer. It is the story of those who follow, stepping into his shadow, hoping to rewrite fate, hoping to prove that belonging is not a privilege but a birthright. But in a world where love does not always conquer all, where does hope go?

Quite captivating until the last paragraph of the book, which simply reads: “Umunnam, I have tolerated Ukwechi’s nonsense long enough; a woman does not call the shots over so serious a matter without dire consequences for herself. This here is the invitation card to my daughter’s wedding which my son-inlaw printed with my encouragement. I invite you all to their wedding as members of my family. Ukwechi is free to do as she pleases; but if she fails to be by my side as our daughter weds, she should be sure she has packed out of my house and back to her father’s house by the time I return from the wedding. The choice is hers but my daughter’s wedding goes on regardless of her mother’s decision.”

The Other Insider is authored by Lizi Ashimole aka Lizi Ben, an academic critic, folklorist, book activist and an award winning author of kiddies books.

* Dr. James, historian and an archivist, is the founder/director of Centre for Research, Information and Media Development (CRIMMD), Lagos