A Celestial Letter

About the author/book:
Nigerian playwright, poet, educator and fiction writer Dipo Kalejaiye chronicles the afterlife in his latest book, A Celestial Letter. Written as a letter from a dead father to his son, the narrator speaks from a vantage point in the spiritual heaven and ventures into terrains, idealistically and realistically, including sarcastic and idealized views of existence, to teach his son life lessons.
While reading this book, I grappled with the realization that Kalejaiye is not only a gifted storyteller but also a writer who has a firm control of language. His images and diction provide for his reader a deep understanding of the context presented. Sarcasm, myths, humor, and questions are traders at the marketplace of his ideas. The afterlife is presented as a crossroads where those who have passed on to glory go to reflect, ponder their choices, and seek answers to the fate of the living. There are allusions to both biblical and literary quotes throughout the book.
Perhaps this is a deliberate attempt to push the reader to think as he/she attempts to link the author’s ideas to real-life situations and popular culture. Also, the narrative’s allegorical structure combines effectively with its epistolary form to situate Kalejaiye as a writer whose mastery of the craft of storytelling reveals his maturity as an artist.  If life and death are the only keys to understanding the nature of life, this book offers a stunning surprise.

Reviewer:
–D.Okoro