A Broken People's Playlist by Chimeka Garricks

“They will ask me when I first knew I was in love with you. I will sigh and say I don't know. It happened in fragments, piece by piece, separate moments over the years.”

-Chimeka Garricks, A Broken People’s Playlist.

We’re celebrating lovers’ season over here and there’s no other book as fitting to read now than A Broken People’s Playlist. The anthology of 12 stories is exactly as the title reads. Each chapter features a “broken” person and the theme of their story is inspired by a song. Set in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, the stories explore the complexities of love, desire and relationships, with a fitting song inspiration to match.

I liked that the characters were flawed in a way that shows their humanity. I even found some empathy for a cheater, but that shows the masterful storytelling of the writer. Not all the stories are about romance and some explore family relationships, friendships and the effect of child abuse, so there’s a balance between humorous love stories and some heavy themes. I think some of the stories could have been fleshed out more and others were a bit forgettable. However the rich writing and narration made up for that.

I’m always a bit apprehensive about short story collections as I end up wanting more, but the stories were tied neatly at the end and just like the end of a beautiful love song-there was nothing more to say. The “playlist” was amazing too, from I Put A Spell on You to Song for Someone. Pro tip: listen to the song either before or after reading the story. It definelty adds some more depth to the reading experience.

Check out A Broken People's Playlist from the local library or buy from an independent bookstore.