A Backpack Filled With Sunsets is an anthology of short stories by Ifeanyi Ogbo. There are twelve stories in the book. It features a few different types of stories. There are a few about reincarnation and souls who have fulfilled their time on Earth. There are meetings of people and the way they feel about the people they’ve met, such as the inspiration they’ve gained from these people. Several stories have a lot to do with connections and relationships between people.

One of my key favourite stories is the titular story of the book, “A Backpack Filled With Sunsets” is about an artist who visits a rental home, owned by the narrator of the story, and teaches people of art and the beauty of the nature around them. I loved reading about this character. And I felt like the author blessed him with a really special soul, that encourages and inspires those around him. In addition to that, I liked reading about the narrator’s reaction to him, and the inspiration gained from him. There were some really lovely moments where the narrator gained insight into their own life, and their story felt so full of emotional depth. I loved reading this story. Another good one that I really enjoyed was “I Became One With the Wind”. The opening to the story was simply beautiful, and it was another story with a lot of emotional depth to it. I love the way that the author intertwines the story with a mix of what has happened with the character, Mustapha, and using descriptions of nature, and the love he has for his family. While the story does have a kind of deep sorrow to it, it also has a beautiful inspirational side, trying to encourage the mother to watch for the life and signs in the nature around her. “A Girl Named Achebe” felt like such a strong story to me, and I appreciated the life the author was able to instil to this piece.

“The Galaxy of Golden Verses” was a fascinating story to read. It’s about a soul that is about to be reassigned to its next life, and it reflects a bit about what it experienced in its last lifetime. This is a short story that I would love to read more about; I’d love to spend more time with the souls that come to this location, “The Galaxy of Golden Verses”, and I’d love to hear more about what they have learnt in their lives. It was such a great story to read, even though it was a short one. Another story I’d love to read more into would be “Joyeaux Land”; I loved reading about the childhood dreams of the narrator in the story, and I’d love to read about more characters experiencing their lives in this virtual reality world. From a science fiction perspective, I’d also like to have read more of the drama surrounding this device’s release and other people’s reactions to it. A third story I feel like I’d like to read more of is “If God Will Send His Angels”; it has a fascinating look into the lives of an angel and their time spent on Earth. I’d love to read more of these characters, and how the angel was able to see the energies of people, and stuff like that. All these stories mentioned are absolutely fine as they are, and really good works. But I have this desire to read more of them, and to learn more about the way things are going in these stories.

I like a lot of the characters that the author has presented us. In initial descriptions of characters, the author has a way of not just giving us a basic appearance, but also giving us details of what the characters are like in terms of personality. And then further reading gives us little snippets of the basic history of characters, what their aims are, how they treat people, etc. I think the author has done well. Especially because the author paces these bits well, blending these bits of information in with the unfolding story. And, in addition to that, I like the way they also kind of give the locations their own little characterisation, in a way; giving us little snippets of some beautiful scenery and talking about where the characters are, what type of place it is.

Overall, this is one of the most beautiful books I have read; something I don’t say lightly. The author has expertly crafted these short stories, and filled them with such strong emotions. While the stories are short, I feel the author has added really good details to them that almost make them feel as if they last a lifetime. The stories include all sorts of little thoughts or feelings to characters, giving them depth and personality. The author also has created a lot of fascinating stories, full of really interesting people, with rich histories and futures. I think I’ll definitely reread the book again in future, and I one hundred percent recommend it. I have a lot of love for all twelve stories.