Yinka Olatunbosun
Bina Idonije was 20 years old when she wanted to release her first book. But that didn’t happen until twenty years later- in 2022 at Four Point Sheraton, Victoria Island Lagos. With a small gathering of friends, family and colleagues, Idonije opened up on the journey towards her first novel titled “Bridges are for Burning.’’
Bina’s memory of writing dated back to the 80s when she was about six or seven she wrote a book titled ‘John the Scallywag.’ It was written and illustrated by her with eight pages stuck together with water gum to create a bound prose work. Today, she is a lawyer with a random interest in drawing plant species, hosting friends for drinks and listening to music.
Married with three children, Idonije was elated to see the first of her dream books become a reality against all odds.
“Every one that holds the book in hand will realise that whatever time you wake up is your morning. Writing is a passion for me and even though I had not become published all along, I used to write stories. I kept the dream alive. When I was a young girl, I really loved to read novels. I read ‘The Sugar Girl,’ ‘Eze goes to school,’ but I grew to read widely. ‘Mills and Boons’ introduced romance into my palate. I suppose that’s where I got the romance from. I just wanted to add a different voice to the discourse around African literature,’’ she recounted.
Representing the middle and upper class, she carefully developed her characters to be contemporary and diverse with some having multi-racial identity. With her writing, she celebrates the beauty of a woman and juxtaposes that with what attracts women to the kind of men they marry or have a romantic relationship with.
“Wanting money in itself is not a bad thing. I think it becomes a problem when it is the only thing. Just because you marry someone who is well to do does not mean it has to come with baggage. But when your sole goal is to marry for money, then you have to deal with whatever comes with it. We also have a couple whose story shows that someone can love you and still do bad things to you,’’ she said.
Further, ‘Bridges are for Burning’ explores the theme of love, toxic masculinity, friendship and womanhood.
In her review, Biyai Garricks, podcaster and Roving Bookworm Publisher, expressed her delight in reading the book.
“For a debut, this book is so well-written, witty and believable. It truly portrays a modern-day Lagos with colourful characters. It is full of drama- suspense and a brilliant twist at the end. It explores different relationships between friends, lovers and spouses. It also shows the complexities and layers making human beings in ways that shock us. You have to be 18 to read the book because there are lots of steamy scenes in the book,’’ she said.
