Point of View

Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth has an omniscient narrator. Multiple characters’ stories are told asynchronously in the novel. The narrator also comments on the social and political traditions of Nigeria, often with a wry sense of wit. At times the narrator speaks as if introducing an outsider to contemporary Nigeria, sardonically commenting on the formation of the nation. Although certain facts are omitted in these expositions and specific gaps in the sequence of the narrative events are apparent throughout the story, the narrator assumes a somewhat neutral perspective on events and presents as an authoritative and reputable source of information as to the characters and settings in the story.

The narrator gives primary focus to explaining the backstories of the four main characters – the “Gong of Four” whose intersecting lives symbolize different elite paths in Nigeria. First encountered is Teribogo...