"Sade is slipping her English book into her schoolbag when Mama screams. Two sharp cracks splinter the air. She hears her father's fierce cry, rising, fall."
These are the opening words of the novel. The story opens with this scene of horrific violence that no schoolgirl should ever have to see or hear or experience. Nothing is known about this family yet except the daughter's name. Therefore, the scene creates no emotional resonance in particular. What this opening succeeds in doing instantly is establishing a setting and milieu. The only contextual information are the words "Lagos, Nigeria" between the chapter number and the chapter title, "Survivors." Since most readers are unlikely to know much detail about that setting, the effect—and possibly purpose—of this scene is to alert them that they are about to read a story where violence is part of the norm.
"Sade had only imagined being with Mr. Seven O' Clock himself. She hadn't thought about getting past any guards! And if she had to ask for him, would she say? Suddenly she couldn't even remember his real name! Whatever would she call him? Hardly `Mr. Seven O' Clock News'!"
Actually, it turns out that this character is referred to as "Mr. Seven O' Clock" (sometimes with the "News" attached and mostly not) throughout the book. The time reference here is to the hour at which the man appears on television in his role as newscaster. This character will become integral to the story because, despite being victimized by violence in that opening scene, Sade's father will wind up being imprisoned. Like Mr. Seven O' Clock News, Sade's father is also a journalist. The attack which leaves him crying out "No" in the opening scene will claim his wife—Sade's mother—but he was the real target. The novel includes a Foreword written by Jon Snow, who was an actual real life "Mr. Seven O' Clock" on the Channel 4 News in the U.K. His fictional counterpart works in tandem with Sade's father to present the power and necessity of the free press to combat oppressive governments.
"The truth is the truth. How I can I write what's untrue?"
This quote is essentially the motto of Sade's father in his role as journalist. His being targeted for the violence with which the story commences is related to his journalist pursuit of the truth. Although a family drama at heart, the novel is very much a work that champions the role of honest factual accounting by the press. It is her father's determination to be truthful that motivates the events. The violence, the family conflict, and the movement of the setting from Nigeria to England all stem from this dedication. The novel is a celebration of the power of the press to illuminate the darkness of the world of politics.
