Images From A Broken Mirror

Tony Alum's Images from a Broken Mirror is a factional account of the fractious, violent, vicious circle in which African immigrants are trapped in Europe. Set in France and Italy, the story dwells on the trafficking of Nigerian women to Italy. Using the persona, Efe, a trafficked Nigerian girl, the author explores the pressures that come together to propel the men and women, young and old, from Africa to Europe. Efe goes through the tedious and dangerous life of an immigrant commercial sex worker in Italy. She falls in love with Carlo, her first client. Carlo proposes marriage to Efe who accepts and becomes pregnant. However, Efe takes a decision, in a moment of frustration, that will change her destiny, that of Carlo and the unborn child. Tony Alum has used this novel in a dialectical manner to x-ray the multifarious conflicts that dovetail to make life for the African immigrant in Italy a nightmare. Like most works of fiction, the author has reflected aspects of his experiences in Italy. The evidences of this closeness abound. For instance, the descriptions in the book are so graphically represented that one nearly for