Title: Seun Salami
Author: The Son of Your Father’s Concubine
Year of Publication: 2011
Number of Pages: 124
Category: Short Stories
When you begin Seun Salami’s short story collection, The Son of Your Father’s Concubine, everything feels light and almost deceptive in its calm. The opening stories read easily, gently drawing you in, like a storyteller easing you into a familiar space. But that ease does not last. A few pages in, the weight begins to settle, and before you realise it, the stories are pulling at your emotions, growing heavier and more unsettling.
Salami has a way of making complexity look simple. On the surface, the stories appear straightforward, but beneath them sit pain, longing, and a quiet tension. Even the title, which may seem unclear at first, gradually reveals its meaning as the collection unfolds. With each new story, there is an unspoken expectation that something sad, shocking, or heartbreaking is about to happen and often, it does.
The characters are instantly familiar: the footballer, the executive assistant, the pastor, the teenage mother, the corps members. These are people you may have seen, met, or heard about. Their lives are ordinary, yet the burdens they carry are anything but. Salami gives them depth without excess, allowing their realities to speak for themselves.
One of the most remarkable things about the collection is how effortlessly the author moves readers through time and scenes. In one moment, you are following a young girl; in the next, she is already a mother. If you blink, you may briefly wonder how you arrived there so fast. Yet this suddenness mirrors life itself, how moments pass without warning and circumstances change before we are ready.
Trying to neatly summarise the themes in this book is almost impossible. Each story feels rich enough to demand its own long conversation. Questions linger, some unanswered, and for many readers, the stories may stir familiar or painful memories. Salami does not rush to explain or soften these moments; he allows them to sit with you.
At certain points, the author jumps forward in time, offering glimpses of a future Nigeria. These moments may excite some readers and unsettle others, but they suggest a writer who is thinking beyond the present.
Just when the weight of tragedy begins to feel overwhelming, Salami shifts tone. The stories become lighter, though no less meaningful. He draws from his NYSC experience, passport office encounters, and other everyday Nigerian moments. These chapters offer brief relief, yet they still reflect the deeper truths of life in the country. Humorous, frustrating, and deeply human.
In the end, despite its slim size, The Son of Your Father’s Concubine leaves a lasting impression. It is a short book, but it carries considerable emotional weight, and by the final page, you realise that the calm you began with was only the beginning.
About the reviewer
Titilade Oyemade is a business executive in a leading organisation and holds a degree in Russian Language. She’s the convener of the Hangoutwithtee Ladies Event and the Publisher of Hangoutwithtee magazine. She spends her weekends attending women conferences, events and book readings. She loves to have fun and to help other women have the same in their lives. Email: [email protected] Social: @tiipreeofficial
