Short Story Galore review by David Olusegun

Plenty they are, and abounding everywhere are both short stories and their writers. It requires precise skills to write this sub-genre of prose and those who’ve done so are in their own special league of the literary world.

Add now to their list Oseyiza Oogbodo, author of Short Story Galore, whose first book, The Good Life, is a novel, which therefore makes Galore (his second published book) his debut book in the specialist field of short fiction writing.

With his voyage into short stories, Oogbodo has proved himself a man of letters. Also a poet, if he happens to write just one play, I make bold to say he would cement himself as a literary giant worldwide.

Galore’s stories are just five in number, and they have catchy titles. The Dreading, The Amateurs, Something Called Life, The High School Playboy and the one I like the most, Heaven Meet.

The very first story, The Dreading, is believable-unbelievable at the same time. It tells of a woman, a mother - with no mention of her husband – whose major concern at that point in her life in the story is how her first child, a girl, who will soonest attain the age of receiving catcalls and going on dates with members of the opposite sex will cope with all the romantic attention.

The second story is Something Called Life, a near incestuous story about a blood brother and sister who enact a complex drama plotted, directed, scripted and starring the sister.

Now the pendulum swings to Heaven Meet, my favourite. This story boasts of two major characters who are set and rigid in their ideals and beliefs wand will go to any length to uphold their policies. Therefore, when they’re pitted against each other, the outcome becomes disastrous, quite.

The Amateurs, as the title already explains, is about three young men who’re newcomers in the game of kidnapping, yet conspire and kidnap a girl who’s the only child of a very wealthy man. In the first instance, they wouldn’t have had access to her but for their leader who was an in-man as an employee of the girl’s father.

High school days are evoked in The High School Playboy, an account of the author’s observations (maybe) in boarding school.

Clearly, Short Story Galore as written by Oseyiza Oogbodo is Nigerian contemporary fiction at its very best and definite proof of the abundant talent residing in Oogbodo as a writer.

Note: Short Story Galore is available as an eBook presently exclusive to Amazon. It’s available with other Oogbodo books through the link: https://www.amazon.com/author/oseyizaoogbodo