God's Children Are Little Broken Things by Arinze Ifeakandu
"The best piece of fiction I read this year." - Colm Tóibín, New Stateman Books of the Year
In this stunning debut from one of Nigeria's most promising young writers, the stakes of love meet a society in flux.
A man revisits the university campus where he lost his first love, aware now of what he couldn't understand then. A daughter returns home to Lagos after the death of her father, where she must face her past - and future -relationship with his longtime partner. A young musician rises to fame at the risk of losing himself and the man who loves him. Generations collide, families break and are remade, languages and cultures intertwine, and lovers find their ways to futures; from childhood through adulthood; on university campuses, city centres, and neighbourhoods where church bells mingle with the morning call to prayer.
These nine stories of queer male intimacy brim with simmering secrecy, ecstasy, loneliness and love in their depictions of what it means to be gay in contemporary Nigeria.
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"Although he writes about queer lives and loves in Nigeria, Arinze Ifeakandu's voice is sensually alert to the human and universal in every situation. These quietly transgressive stories are the work of a brilliant new talent." - Damon Galgut
"Contemporary love stories with moments of real surprise and revelation." - Brandon Taylor, author of Real Life
"Gorgeous... A hugely impressive collection, full of subtlety, wisdom and heart." - Sarah Waters
"A staggering, heartshattering show." - Eloghosa Osunde, author of Vagabonds!
Details
Imprint: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publication Date: 25 May 2023
ISBN: 9781399606257
Pages: 224
Type: Paperback