Title: TreasureAuthor: Oyinkan Braithwaite
Series: Hush Collection #2
First Published: July 30, 2020
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Pages: 31
Genre: Dark Comedy, Satire, Short Stories, Thriller
Format: Ebook
Source: Prime Reading
Rating:
Synopsis:
A darkly comic short story of class divide, the lives we invent, and the very real risks of preserving an Insta-fame facade by the award-winning author of My Sister, the Serial Killer.
Treasure is a wannabe Instagram influencer in Lagos, Nigeria. She shows off a luxurious life in a gated community that her almost five thousand followers can only dream of. @Sho4Sure is determined to be part of it. The macho mechanic is Treasure’s number one fan, and double taps and blushing emojis are no longer enough. He needs to meet her in the flesh. If only Treasure were more prepared for destiny.
Buy the Book: AmazonReview
Treasure is just that, a treasure! A darkly funny Nigerian satire and thriller, it delves into the glamorous world of social media and influencer culture. Treasure is single-minded in building her follower count as a form of validation, playing into a misguided fantasy of celebrity stardom. Her narrative is dizzying, detailing every small detail of building her online persona to present herself as a #queen.
@Sho4Sure is an everyday SIMP, thrilled at the opportunity to meet gorgeous women through social media. He feels a connection through her pictures, and constantly follows her posts. He is deeply misogynistic, a “traditional” Nigerian man that feels entitled to Treasure’s body when he decides that he can just walk into her life and take her as a wife.
This little short reinforced everything that I hate about social media culture and the false reality that we often perceive it to be. It is a sharp and cutting criticism of our society’s obsession with individuality, consumerism, and selfie culture. Anyone can be an Instagram model with the right clothes, lighting, filters, and photoshop. It’s easy to lose touch of the true reality of life and the people in it. There’s a lot to love about this story and I laughed at the ridiculous and depressing insanity of it all.
Quote
“She is always smiling in her pictures. He smiles back at her.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Oyinkan Braithwaite
Oyinkan Braithwaite is a graduate of Creative Writing and Law from Kingston University. Following her degree, she worked as an assistant editor at Kachifo, a Nigerian publishing house, and has been freelancing as a writer and editor since. In 2014, she was shortlisted as a top-ten spoken-word artist in the Eko Poetry Slam, and in 2016 she was a finalist for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. She lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
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