A gripping tale of sacrifice, deception, and devastating secrets.
Chinasa at birth, First Lady Zayani Ada is now in a unique position to help her Ijun people. A revered philanthropist and wife of the president, Zayani is outwardly the picture of grace and an example of human triumph. But those outward perceptions stop when the camera flashes dim. In every meaningful way, Zayani is a prisoner. A prisoner to her oppressive husband. A prisoner to her tortured past. A prisoner to her unrelenting guilt. A prisoner to her own seething anger and lust for revenge. The object of her loathing is her husband, Changa Ada, leader of Togulisho, an African country embroiled in cultural clashes, financial volatility, and a war for its natural resources. As a girl, Zayani was a victim of Changa’s cruel campaign of hostility against the Ijun people. After her family was slaughtered, she was forced to become wife to this man who is many years her senior. With no option but to cede her will to his barbaric demands, Zayani grows into the position of first lady, spurred on by her need for redemption. Her charitable work for the Ijun is a step in that direction, but Changa won’t be taken for a fool. When Zayani meets an alluring man with goals similar to her own, she allows a glimmer of hope into her darkened heart. However, wounds that can’t be seen on the body often cut more deeply than anything that bleeds, and an abusive husband isn’t the only force Zayani will have to reckon with.
Depraved, dark, and gritty, Ayura Ayira’s novel packs maximum-impact drama into every available nook and crevice. An impassioned opening sequence helps frame Zayani’s embittered viewpoint and sets the tone for the harrowing events in Root of All Evil. The first half of the story portrays a version of Zayani that is a victim of her choices, choices she had to make in order to survive. As things change for her, the book shifts to feature a more politically charged story arc. Greed, power, and savage lies take over as the main drivers of the plot, and the protagonist is not immune to these elements either. There are places in the text where the narration is vague or the dialogue is difficult to follow, but this contributes to the overall tension and sense of unease the characters experience. Led by a dynamic woman who won’t be distracted from her long-term goals, Root of All Evil is a gripping tale of sacrifice, deception, and devastating secrets.
