Title: Cornered
Author: Chris Odogwu
Year: 2025
Category: Short Story
Chris Odogwu’s Cornered opens with a quiet assurance that immediately shows the author’s command of his storytelling. The prose is simple but deliberate, with each sentence carefully chosen.
There is nothing showy or unnecessary in the writing; instead, Odogwu builds the scene slowly and subtly, guiding the reader into what first appears to be an ordinary moment. Yet beneath this calm surface lies a steady, growing tension.
Without drawing attention to it, Odogwu slowly builds an atmosphere around the main character. At the center of this carefully crafted world is a boy who makes no effort to win the reader over. On the contrary, he pushes people away with his irritable attitude.
He is the kind of teenager who draws the attention and sometimes the frustration of adults. Odogwu may have presented him this way deliberately, creating an introduction that acts as an emotional trap: you think you understand him, believe you have seen his type before, and assume you can predict his next move.
But as the story goes on, that certainty starts to fade.
This is where Odogwu shows his skill not through sudden surprises, but by letting small changes accumulate quietly. A line of dialogue reveals fear instead of bad behaviour. These details emerge so gradually that the reader senses the shift almost without realizing it. The true brilliance is in the pacing: Odogwu knows exactly how to reveal things slowly, allowing the reader’s understanding to grow alongside the main character’s struggles.
And just when you’ve begun to understand him, when empathy starts to outweigh irritation, the story reaches its final note. It doesn’t wrap anything neatly; instead, it leaves the door wide open to dread. The ending plants a very real, very human fear in the reader’s chest, the kind that makes you worry about a character long after the story has ended. You’re left wondering what happens next, how things could possibly get better for him, and why you suddenly care so deeply about a boy you were prepared to dislike just a few pages earlier.
Part of the story’s emotional impact comes from how familiar its hidden struggles feel. For many young readers, especially those who have faced bullying or peer hostility, Cornered will resonate uncomfortably close to home. The shifts in mood, the silent battles, and the fear that often accompanies them are truths that echo across schools. Odogwu captures these dynamics without preaching or exaggeration. He simply shows them as they are, and the effect is profoundly powerful.
In the end, ‘Cornered’ isn’t just a story about a boy in trouble, it’s a reminder of how easy it is to misread someone, and how much is often hidden behind the behaviour we find most frustrating. It lingers because it asks you to look again, look deeper, and look without judgment.
About the Author
Chris Odogwu is a Nigerian-born writer. He’s a contributing author of the anthology ‘Suffolk Haunts: Original Stories Inspired by the Legends and Landscapes of East Anglia,’ and holds an MA in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of Suffolk. An associate member of the Society of Authors (SoA) UK, Chris is working on his debut novel, a coming-of-age Young Adult (YA) fictional story.
About the reviewer
Titilade Oyemade is a business executive in a leading organisation and holds a degree in Russian Language. She’s the convener of the Hangoutwithtee Ladies Event and the Publisher of Hangoutwithtee magazine. She spends her weekends attending women conferences, events and book readings. She loves to have fun and to help other women have the same in their lives. Email: [email protected] Social: @tiipreeofficial
