419

A riveting, very well constructed tale of a Nigerian banking swindle played on a Calgarian, and its impact on both Canadians and Nigerians far from the original players involved. From frozen Alberta to the coastal swamplands and then deserts of Nigeria, the setting and storytelling are so realistic you'd think the author had trekked through every mile described in the book as he tried to decide--just like myself -- who exactly are the good guys, who is playing whom, and who really are the winners. The winners and losers, we find out, evolve over time as there are multiple complex and overlapping historical undercurrents: consequences of slavery from both ends of the whip, remnants of colonialism that come back generation after generation to haunt the present, and of course black gold. The dark oil that seeps into so much of the action is well used as a mechanism to bind all these different societies together and highlight how the associated money and power drive so much human activity on different continents, from Canadian and Nigerian industry, to debates about which African really designed the necklace, the potent type. The engineering and technical aspects are well described and treated with refreshing respect, helping give added credibility to the novel. And, on a personal touch, the underworld boss pointing out his 46 and a fraction birthday just when I crossed that line as well at the time of reading this book was an interesting coincidence. Brought together, the hard scrabble lives, the backdrops, the plot, and the connections all make for very lively and gritty characters to which I became very attached by the end of the novel. Overall a fantastic read that connected on so many levels.

419 was an exceptional book that I would recommend anyone to read. It is narrated by many different people whose lives somehow intertwine in the most fascinating way. It is not only a mystery but it is also a thriller and on top of that it gives the reader an inside of the 419 scams that happen in Nigeria. This book truly opened my eyes too a whole new culture due the the global influence this book has. There is an educational aspect to it because the author really grasp the persona of each character in the book by exposing us to their culture. A good mystery book should always have you wondering by providing just enough detail to keep you wondering and always asking questions? That is exactly what this book does making it the perfect mix of thriller, surprise, empathy, sadness, happiness and revival. This book was all that it lived up to be. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. I can not wait to read another book by Will Ferguson.

This is a delicious story about what happens when a woman opts to avenge the death of her father because of one of those Nigerian-based computer scams. But it's more than a thriller in that regard. It's a darn good look at life in today's Nigeria and, in particular, how the so-called "419" computer scams operate. I know I know -- it's amazing that there are people so gullible as to fall for these frauds but, apparently, there are enough to keep many Nigerians employed. The story has many twists and turns are you may not always know what the author is leading up to but -- trust me -- it'll all make sense in the end. Ferguson writes a pretty good story -- enough so that I am looking forward to reading his other efforts. All in all, this was an enjoyable, eye-opening book about a fascinating subject.

Story is written in small, ultimately linked, segments. Ending was enigmatic and thought provoking. We are seeing so many attempts to defraud the public; this story tracks the imposition of fraud under the Criminal Code of Nigeria (419) and its impacts on all sides of the deceit. Good read!

Fascinating, multifaceted story. Couldn’t put it down. Though fictional, it gives one a grasp of what’s happening in our world of technology and how those living in third world countries justify and view the U.S. internet as an important resource for harvesting money through online deception. Recommend this to anyone who receives clever or blatant email scams and wants a backstory to explain the potential origins. Recommend it for book clubs, as well.

I suggest you read this book as fast as possible. The format is like short stories and if you take your time reading this book, it will be hard to remember them and eventually connect them. If you don't like short stories, this is not your book. It will be hard to make sense of it, because you need to remember the stories, which in the end, they will connect and it will all make sense.Personally, I loved the concept of the story. It could happen to anyone. It was interesting and got my attention. I also liked learning about different cultures and how the characters developed and connected throughout the book.Entertaining and well-written. I do recommend this book.

A very interesting book, with vivid descriptions of Nigeria and the Nigerian internet scamming operations, and of the Nigerian characters. It's difficult to imagine than the author hadn't been there. By comparison, the description of the Canadian characters and their actions is unrealistic and repetitive. The book does explain how people (from both sides) are drawn into the scams.Ferguson slyly assumes that the reader will realize that a woman (from Muslim Nigeria) who is pregnant by rape would have to run for her life. Not many of us North American men are likely to puzzle out that one on our own; I'm impressed that he left us wondering.

The first Will Ferguson book I read was Why I Hate Canadians. Like me, Will had lived for years in East Asia and his views on his homeland had changed. He’d gone from seeing Canada as an eminently good country to viewing it as something, well, a bit more in line with what it is. I thought, ‘A contrarian! Here’s a book for me!’I could relate to Will’s experiences. Fresh out of university, I also handed out Canada lapel pins to Asian students who didn’t care an ounce about or even know what or where Canada was.If you want to make Canada disappear, just leave it. Unlike America or Britain, it won’t follow you around, and the burden of patriotism should, thank goodness, begin to lighten.However, I was surprised to find that apart from experiences similar to my own and an excellent title, the text was decidedly bland. Where was the criticism? Why did he talk about arguing with his grandmother concerning the legitimacy of the queen? Canada’s reverence for the British monarchy is certainly a topic worth exploring (my own view is that it’s silly and even dangerous), but why drag his grandmother into it? I thought this was in bad taste. Indeed, I thought the author came off as self-obsessed and dull. And his writing was seriously underwhelming.Then I read Will’s Canadian History for Dummies and again was dissatisfied. Most of it seemed cribbed from Robert Bothwell’s New Penguin History of Canada and although I learned a fair amount, especially about the history of native Canadians, once more there were too many references to himself and not enough solid writing about important historical events. Will Ferguson’s Canadian History for Dummies doesn’t hold a candle to Sean Lang’s British History for Dummies, but then Sean Lang is more erudite. Sean Lang is a historian.I went on to read Beauty Tips from Moosejaw, in part because I love travel literature, especially Paul Theroux, and in part because I’d become fascinated by Ferguson’s popularity. He was winning national awards yet was publishing books with sophomoric titles like “Canada Pie” (a reference to the teen comedy film, “American Pie”).Anyway, Beauty Tips was the second worst piece of travel writing I’d ever read, the worst being Tony Hawks’s Round Ireland with a Fridge. For instance, there’s a bit about a county in my home province which calls itself the Republic of Madawaska and has some sort of independence claim. Ferguson chose to write about it, so he should have made it interesting, but instead he interviews a politician and just makes a big silly, childish joke out of the whole thing.Later, he goes on about the song “All Star” by the group Smash Mouth. In short, it’s not a book for adults, but for teenagers, something a 16-year old would read and think, ‘That guy’s cool.’ I think Ferguson got the idea to write for the kids from his friend Douglas Coupland, who made a career and fortune penning cool books for lost youth.Yet Beauty Tips from Moosejaw won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, which is sort of a big deal in Canada. I was taken aback, but I was also confused. I should have liked the writer. He wrote about history, politics, travel, culture, and literature. He said he revered Mordecai Richler. He’d lived in St. Stephen, New Brunswick (near where I’m from) and learned to parallel park in Saint John, New Brunswick, my hometown. He described the people in my hometown as “raw and real,” which is apt. He described the people of Fredericton, New Brunswick as less than friendly, which is also apt. I thought he was observant, so why were his books so bad? I just didn’t understand.Consequently, when Ferguson won the Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel, 419, I was floored. Canadian literature had never produced a Martin Amis or an Ian McEwan, but had it become that parochial and impoverished? I heard the head of Canada’s largest book-chain say 419 shouldn’t have won the prize, and although I hadn’t read it, I imagined she was right.But I now reckon 419 should have won, or at least been a contender, because it’s outstanding. Although it is, of course, fiction, it’s a bit like travel literature and some of it approximates the quality of stuff by Jan Morris or Colin Thubron. It’s really an accomplishment; I know I couldn’t write anything like it. Much of it is set in Nigeria and it’s the African sections that really shine. The detail is incredible, infused with all kinds of ethnographic observations, bits of different language, and wonderfully vivid description. You see it, feel it, and smell it. Like Theroux, Ferguson makes you feel like you’re there. Also, he weaves various story lines together and very cleverly, and he put a lot of research and effort into this book.419 is so good that it ought to be made into a movie. And if it really weren’t deserving of the Giller Prize, I’d like to read the book that was.However, this leads me to the question: how could there be such a gap between the books that I read and this one? Is it just that Will excels at fiction? I don’t think so, because of the 12 books he’s penned, this is only his third novel. Is it just that he’s gotten better through practice? Possibly. Who knows? Whatever the reason, good for him and well done. If Will writes another two or three of this calibre, he could become a modern-day Farley Mowat or Robertson Davies – and I never thought I would say that. I look forward to the next Will Ferguson offering, though I think he’d be wise to make it fiction.Troy Parfitt is the author of Why China Will Never Rule the World and War Torn: Adventures in the Brave New Canada.

Laura Curtis’s father has died. His car ran off the road and down the cliff. He had lost all his money trying to help a Nigerian girl in distress…As Laura unpicks the details, sifts through the e-mails, she is horrified at what she sees. It’s never quite clear whether she mourns her father or his money, but she is definitely at grief central. And so she arrives in Lagos on a mission.Meanwhile, we follow two stories in Nigeria. On the one hand, we have Winston, an internet scammer. Winston is articulate, personable and operates with a very warped sense of morality. He believes he has a right to take the mugus’ money.And the third main story is Nnamdi, a fisherman’s son who has been displaced by oil workers and winds up as a back-up driver on a lorry trip up north. On the way, he meets a pregnant woman and his life is changed irrevocably.Inevitably, the stories tie together. The plot is taught and writhes like a snake. But it is the characterisation that shines. Each character has strengths, weaknesses and flaws. The reader’s sympathies change, lighting on one character for a while until reminded of the alternative perspective, or that character’s place in the wider scheme of things.There is a strong sense of place, too. Nigeria feels real, large and complex. It is not just a den of thieves, there are real, decent people trying to earn a living. There is wealth and there are natural resources. Lagos becomes real – has suburbs and a history.419 is a complex, well thought out novel that leaves a deep emotional imprint. It is written with panache. There is a visible narrator engaging in little asides to the reader, teasing and tantalising. Right from the start, as Henry Curtis dies, the prospect of a satisfactory resolution is lost. Will Ferguson nevertheless pulls off a stylish ending, even if it leaves the reader feeling rather hollow.

I really enjoyed reading this bookMuch more fascinating detail than I had expected.I have bought several & passed them onto friends for birthday gifts.

Having recently been the victim of a similar, dating, scam from Nigeria..... (only I realised, almost immediately, that there was something suspicious about this lovely man who wanted to spend his life making me happy....and my money doing so).....I was very interested when I heard of this book. I found the story a bit "woolly" in part- obviously I realised that these characters' stories had to meet up eventually, but I felt the stories meandered along while I wondered about their significance to the main characters and then their story just came to a rather abrupt climax. Therefore I was left with the feeling that their part in the story could have been handled in a less extensive way in the book. I wanted to know much more about the central characters and their lives. The central core of the story, however, had me feeling all the rage and disgust which I experienced for myself. But the book also showed me that there are at least two sides to every story and I actually felt some compassion for some of the "bad guys," forced into a way of life by these masterminders, whom I can only describe as "Scum" of the lowest order. It's so frightening to think that there are people like this operating, seemingly with impunity, in our world. And a lot of it seems to be centred on Nigeria. What is it with these people?? A very thought-provoking read....

I thought this book started off really well and I was really looking forward to reading it. However is seemed to lose direction and I skipped a lot of the story of the boy as I thought all that detail was totally unnecessary. I did manage to finish it but I found it very unsatisfactory.