The Other Side of Truth Literary Elements

Young Adult

The setting is Lagos, Nigeria in the mid-1990s. The story also takes place in London.

The novel is narrated in the third-person point of view mainly from the perspectives of the two children, Sade and Femi, as they flee Nigeria for London.

The tone is one of suspense and uncertainty. The mood of the novel is one of fear, desperation, and hope.

Protagonist: Sade Antagonist: The Nigerian military government

The central conflict is the struggle of Sade and Femi to survive in London after their father sends them away from Nigeria to escape political violence. The siblings are placed into a foster home and face a daily struggle to adjust to their new home and the harshness of life in a foreign city. They must also cope with the emotional trauma of being separated from their parents and must learn to navigate the difficulties of life in a new country. Additionally, they are met with suspicion and hostility from those who do not understand their situation.

The climax is the moment when Sade bravely speaks out in an effort to save her father.

Early on in the novel, Sade's father, Femi, is warned by his brother, Tunde, that he should not underestimate the power of the Nigerian government. This foreshadows Femi's eventual arrest and imprisonment for speaking out against the government.

When Sade says, "Why shouldn't my English be good?" She was surprised that Miss Harcourt had commented on the quality of her English, even though she had been speaking it her whole life. This understates the fact that Sade is a refugee who has come to England and her English is better than many of the other students at the school.

The narrative alludes to real-world events, such as the execution of journalists in 1995 and the civil war in Somalia.

“Black-and-white Mickeys and Minnies were dancing in rows down the faded blue curtains when Sade woke. A dull light filtered through the material between the dancing figures. For a few seconds she was confused. Where were her bright-yellow sunflower curtains and the golden streaks of light calling her to join the day? Instead chilly air tingled her nose and face. The room was very still. Sade rolled over, making the camp bed squeak. Quilts matching the Mickey and Minnie curtains lay rumpled on the other two beds.”

To protect themselves, Sade and Femi must lie about who they are, even though this means living in a state of fear and uncertainty. At the same time, they are also trying to find a way to tell their story and get the help they need, which requires them to take risks and tell the truth. In this way, they are stuck between two sides of the same truth: the need to protect themselves by lying and the need to be honest and seek help.

In the novel, parallelism is used to show the contrast between Sade and her brother Femi's experiences in Nigeria and the UK. In Nigeria, Sade and Femi are forced to flee their home due to their father's political activism, and they find themselves in a strange and unfamiliar place in the UK. They are immediately confronted with the racism and xenophobia they encounter there, while in Nigeria, they dealt with the danger of political persecution.

The phrase "Seven O'Clock" is used to refer to the chief presenter of the news show. This is an example of metonymy because it is referring to the chief presenter, rather than the actual news report itself.

“The hubbub waned only after the screeching of a bell.”

In this sentence, the sound of a bell is given a human quality by describing it as “screeching.”