In Search of a Future

The contemporary Nigerian novel is much about the accentuation of the theme of despair, drawing on issues of unemployment, harsh economic realities, political crises, insurgency and corruption. It also explores this despondence and the search for a better life. The choice of Chika Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street and Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani’s I Do Not Come to You by Chance illustrates this point. The paper explores the despair that the youths encounter in the face of changing times and the struggle to scale through the despair. The critical textual analysis undertaken in this article reveals that lack of gainful employment has caused the youths in On Black Sister’s Street to flee the country in search of greener pastures where they are forced to work as prostitutes. The protagonists of the two novels are caught in one web of despair, but have the hope of leading a better life. The novels illuminate how despite the characters’ predicament, they are ready as well as willing to press on in order to change their precarious situations. This tenacity of hope serves as the novelistic vision of the authors.