Esperance

By Adam Oyebanji

Spanning three continents and weaving together threads of culture, history, trauma, and race, this science fiction thriller proves both ambitious and satisfying. Oyebanji handles his characters with a light touch, honouring the identity and motivations of the main protagonists as he gradually unpacks the central mystery of the book. In the audiobook, Délé Ogundiran’s performance captures the cadence of African speech beautifully, renders the American voices with competence, and makes a pig’s ear of the British — which, arguably, is the best way around.