Gloria: A Novel by Iboro Thompson.Gloria, a young Nigerian school leaver dreams of going to university. She gets her wish granted when Josephine, her elder and more sophisticated sister offers to sponsor her. On campus, she is immediately immersed into a torrid world of cultism, rape, and high class prostitution. As she lives life on the fast lane, through connections to a highly influential female legislator, she gets sponsored to Europe-Paris as a human trafficking agent. Her life in Paris however takes a different dimension when she meets and falls in love with Edward, a handsome and distinguished British diplomat. Their love affair is however frustrated from the very start as he discovers her pretentious double life. He dumps her and heartbroken, she leaves Paris and relocates to London in an attempt to pick up the pieces of her life and live life on the straight and narrow. Her past however catches up with her as she is embroiled in a plot that leads to murder of British playboy and millionaire, Alan Kaur. The British police are on her trail, and on the run, she flees London and returns to Paris. Old habits die hard as she returns to her old trade- prostitution and lives recklessly, in an effort to rid herself of her demons. Unexpected luck shines her way as she is discovered by maverick fashion designing duo-Leon and Alexandre. She is engaged by the pair to front the Spring edition of their lingerie range, and launch of their design collection in Paris. On her first outing, she is an instant hit, and makes an instant impression with the press as an emerging catwalk star. The tide of her luck seems to have changed for the better, but she makes the terrible mistake of allowing herself to be embroiled yet again in another sordid plot to blackmail a Dutch MP as payback for a love betrayal. The MP is brutally murdered and she is framed from the murder. This time, she must pay for her sins as the long arm of the law catches up with her and her whole world comes crashing down. Her only hope of redemption comes in a rather unexpected way, and a realization that to be truly free from her past, she must rediscover her true self.Gloria is a women's literary novel that focuses on the difficult choices young women are constantly confronted with in a morally corrupt society that constantly compels them to compromise values. It advocates through its narrative, the need to make sensible lifestyle choices to achieve a secure and fulfilling future. The plot of the story revolves around a central character - Gloria, as well as other supporting female characters, who are also confronted with the same dilemma.Annabelle: Gloria's best friend on campus. Slim, light skinned, and pretty, she is consumed with the eternal quest of most young girls to snare Mr. Right at all cost. Her resolve to catch the perfect man however comes at a steep cost. Affiong: Gloria's friend and mentor .Bold and ambitious, she has sacrificed her morals on the altar of getting things done her way and no way else.Evelyn: A vivacious and beautiful schemer, she must win back the love of Nosa, Gloria's first love at all cost. Modesta: A sophisticated, socialite undergraduate with all the high society connections at her disposal.Josephine: Gloria's elder sister. A sophisticated and glamorous banker trapped in loveless marriage that defies all her efforts to make it work.Francesca: A ruthless and powerful Abuja l legislator who loves to manipulate people for selfish gain. A major player in human trafficking trade; she befriends Gloria and sponsors her to Europe to act on her behalf as a trafficking agent.Frances: A fragile and beautiful hustler, caught in the desperate sex trade in Europe. Her venture to forge a better life for her family back in Nigeria however ends in an unexpected way.Laraba: Gloria's second elder sister. She is happily married to her college sweetheart and she sets an example for her siblings of what marital contentment is really like
