ONLY BIG BUM BUM MATTERS TOMORROW

Author: Demilare  Kuku

Publisher: Picador Africa

Reviewer: Hazel Makuzeni

In need to reinvent herself (with hopes of being idolised and validated), 20-year-old Temi has decided that having a big butt is what she needs. She’s been ridiculed throughout her school years, and she’s had enough. Enough of being mocked and called names such as; Mopstick or Blackboard – now she takes charge of her destiny especially since she has just graduated from university. The world should truly be Temi’s oyster. But life is complex.  

Temi’s wonderful father has just died. Her family is distraught by the passing of the family pillar and has gathered at the family home. She has put off telling them about her plans to surgically enlarge her buttocks for some time, and now seems to be the best available moment to do so. Not only is her mother and the prodigal older sister there, but also her aunties. The news doesn’t go down well. Her mother and aunties are hysterical. In hindsight, I think, this might not have been perfect timing. I mean her family is grieving. But then again, has there ever been perfect timing? She’s accused of madness. She’s viewed as a disgrace. She’s someone possessed, and will ruin the family’s reputation in Ile-Ife. What’s more, Temi plans to leave the place she grew-up in for the sprawling metropolis that is Lagos.

Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow explores issues of beauty, identity, body shaming, the extensive role played by social media and the scourge of celebrity revering in cultivating a culture that value looks and material gains over character at any cost. Set in Nigeria, the novel also surveys the lives and secrets held by the women in Temi’s life. Each character storyline is done fine justice by the author. In the end, I have sympathy for the women even though they are infuriating at times.