Season of Crimson Blossoms|Abubakar A. Ibrahim
Photo: Shayera Dark/Art: Vannyflare
Abubakar A. Ibrahim explores love, friendship, loss, sexism and violence in his debut novel Season of Crimson Blossoms, a story about a widowed, middle-aged teacher and her young gangster lover. Set in Northern Nigeria, the novel turns on its head preconceived views of what it means to be a Muslim woman living in a conservative society.
The book begins with 55-year old Binta being accosted at her home by Reza, a dagger-wielding thug in search of valuables. She leads Reza to her bedroom, and there both victim and attacker get a good view of the other. Binta’s gold tooth reminds Reza of the mother who had abandoned him as a kid, and Reza’s marijuana scent awakens memories in Binta of a son lost to police brutality. Disoriented by the mental image, Reza cleans the shallow wound he inflicted on Binta’s neck with a handkerchief before making off with her belongings.
The incident rattles Binta, but not enough to prevent the first seeds of tenderness from taking root in her heart. Before long, an improbable and potentially scandalous romance blossoms between the widow and her assailant. Although, Binta is single and therefore free to date whomever she fancies, societal norms dictate otherwise. For one, extramarital sex is frowned upon in deeply religious Nigeria, with the bulk of that judgment reserved for women. Also, it’s polemical for women to date men several years their junior, even though the reverse is socially accepted.
As such, guilt racks Binta’s mind, driving her to disguise the stench of the affair with perfumes and incenses until an encounter with a known prostitute rids her of the notion that fornication stinks.
Meanwhile, Binta’s children worry she’s lonely and urge her to marry her twice-married suitor for companionship and protection. She scoffs at the idea and demonstrates her independence and right to choose her partner with a blunt rebuff, one that would devastate her suitor’s ego and lead to dire consequences.
One of the pleasurable aspects Season of Crimson Blossoms is the pedestrian depiction of Reza and Binta’s relationship. Like most lovers, they argue, share secrets, make out and find refuge in each other. He trusts her with his money, albeit never disclosing its sinister origins, and she envisioning a better life for him, encourages him to return to school.
Another delightful touch to the novel is Ibrahim’s nuanced portrayal of Reza as a gang leader. Reza’s acts of violence aren’t glossed over. He doesn’t mind being a hired gun for a politician nor killing rival gang members, and yet his humanity manages to shine through small acts of kindness such as when he offers to pay the school fees of a gang member who dreams of becoming a doctor.
Season of Crimson Blossoms entertains as much as it interrogates cultural norms surrounding age, social class and women’s sexuality as well as the double-standards applicable to women. The novel triumphs at dismantling commonly prescribed definition of love, proving that every kind of love, regardless of its unconventionality, is valid.
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