The 14th Tale

Nigerian-born poet Inua Ellams is an undoubtedly impressive storyteller. Throughout 'The 14th Tale' his body is in confident, expressive motion, words cascading from his mouth, rich, funny and poetic, redolent of a fine eye for the quirks of both Nigeria and the England he has called home since his schooldays. It's a very enjoyable hour, even if it is basically a one-man version of 'The Wonder Years'. Ravishing as the details may be, plot-wise it's got a very apple pie quality, being in essence a litany of harmless hijinks from Ellams' youth, with a through thread about his father getting ill woven in to provide a measure of sentimental tension. Though there's nothing wrong with just being fun when you do it this well, hopefully there will come a day when Ellams' talents manifest themselves less cosily.