Book title: BOYS, GIRLS AND BEASTS
Name of Author: Nathaniel Bivan
Publisher: MASOBE
No. of Pages: 231(Inclusive of acknowledgement)
Publication Year: 2024
ISBN: 978-978-998-792-4
Place of Publication; Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria
Cover Design Art: Anderson Ofizuim Oriahi
Reviewer: Salamatu Sule
Nathaniel Bivan is one of Nigeria’s finest solution and conflict journalists, whose reporting sojourn has taken him to conflict zones within the states of Kaduna, Plateau, Niger and Borno states of northern Nigeria. In his debut novel, Boys, Girls and Beasts, he delivers a top-charting read that captivates readers with compelling characters and vivid storytelling creating a striking departure from his journalistic style.
The book cover, illustrated by Anderson Ofizuim Oriahi, features a human-tiger hybrid, embodying the spiritual essence of Jaka as the deadly tiger. One half of Jaka’s face remains human, with sharp, intelligent eyes, while the other transforms into a snarling tiger, its golden glowing eyes with untamed ferocity. The seamless transition from human skin to striped fur symbolizes Jaka’s dual existence in the physical and spiritual realms. His tense, predatory stance, partially extended claws, and muscular form exude a controlled aggression that mirrors the novel’s intense narrative.
Set against a weird, mystical background, the cover radiates thrilling tension, pulling readers into a world where the boundary between man and beast blurs. Anderson’s masterful illustration elevates the novel’s visual appeal, making it an irresistible invitation to the gripping story within.
The novel opens with a cartographic guide to its imaginary world of Dosa, and a prologue titled The Birth of a Nation. This foundational introduction sets the stage for the story, recounting the signing of a peace and coexistence accord aimed at uniting nations and fostering economic prosperity. Through extensive negotiations, that bring together, the United States of West Africa (UNWA), adopted a creolized language called Wa as their common means of communication for Dosa and neighbours.
However, this union did not stop the sparks of one of the region’s most devastating wars, leading to widespread loss of life and the destruction of farmlands and property. Amid this chaos, Jaka the protagonist becomes a piece of machinery whose humanity is reduced to a beast of burden as he witnesses his dignity and essence of childhood shred to pieces. This is a fate he would suffer for the rest of his life.
The theme of the loss of innocence is central to Nathaniel Bivan’s Boys, Girls and Beast, highlighting the psychological consequences of a child rebel who knows nothing but to kill as he is under the spell of external forces beyond his control.
A thirteen-year-old Jaka who has never in his life crossed the borders of his ancestral home Dosa is taken captive along with others from his village as he flies with his family into the forest. Jaka witnesses the killing of his mother and then his sister. For a child of his age being a witness to the horror that’s unfolding before him does not only shake him psychologically, it also kills everything thing that makes him human.
“A crack of gunfire tore through the bushes, and then a hail of bullets followed. Jaka sprinted, grinding his teeth as twigs dug into his skin. He stopped abruptly; his ears deaf to the relentless screams.
He was not alone.
He could not see Asabe anywhere.
Before he gathered his bearings, Jaka was struck down. In the fleeting seconds, as everything faded away, his sister’s face flashed before his eyes.” Pg. 27, BG&B
For a child whose dreams have always been to join UNWA, to defend and protect his people, that dream has become repugnant to his proposes as he joins the rest in the ungodly chants:
I no longer exist.
My former life no longer exists.
I have nobody.
Today, I become a warrior.
We are brothers.
We are fighters.
We will not rest until they are all dead.
We will not rest until the world is ours. –Pg, 29, BG&B
“On the fifth day of walking, just after sunset, they were met by another battalion: grey-turbaned men in the same khaki uniforms they wore. They had the dark marks of recent battles on their faces and blood on their bodies. They hoisted a flag with caricatures of beasts on both sides. The leader of the new arrivals had a sky-blue turban just like the commander. Both groups gathered and a sort of ritual began”- pg.38, BG&B
This book of fiction can poignantly be reviewed as “Jaka, the Making of the Child Rebel”. This scenario of oath-taking and programming of young children who have never come in contact with handling weapons of mass destruction have themselves become the weapons of destruction to the society that has failed to provide for them protection and education that’s needed to guide them aright.
Where there’s no hope in sight, Jaka is not just any rebel but the kind that unleashes terror. The one that brings down the whole of Malovo and the entire UNWA to its knees. He is the one born as Jaka to become a tiger whose prowl spares no one and freely infiltrates society as Intelligence Captain Luka Ishaya. He is the emblem that holds the Johar a nation that unleashes to take control of Mandami. However, he is also the one who will relieve its pain amidst a dire consequence. A loss of sensibility they say, follows the loss of innocence which births a penalty for actions. Jaka trauma hits this rock. He was a living dead and he made a choice, one that leaves the reader in a state of pain.
The reality of the UNWA state can be likened to the Boo Haram saga where young children were taken and radicalized into something impossible. This a situation that would have been avoided as Nathaniel notes in this novel, everyone around Jaka played as actors in the making of whom he has become- A monster!
The question a reader is likely to ask is, whether a rebel like Jaka can truly redeem or reclaim his innocence, be rehabilitated back to society and live a normal life and how society will view him and his likes.
“Please, forgive me. I didn’t know what more I could do. My life was stolen from me too I became something other than what I would have wanted to be. And it’s still chasing me no matter how hard I try to escape it.” pg. 201, BG&B
In a moment of unbearable pain and anguish, Jaka makes a choice that defines the very soul of this novel—one that sets Boys, Girls and Beast apart as a truly unforgettable read. This is not just a story; it’s an experience that lingers long after the last page. I will read this book again, and I won’t stop talking about it. If you crave a novel that grips your heart, challenges your emotions, and immerses you in a world where choices shape destiny, then you need to read Boys, Girls and Beasts!
