“Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s writing has a certain delicacy to it, so wonderfully observant, and so beautiful.”–Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author ofAmericanah

MoonlightmeetsPurple Hibiscusin this searing debut of self-acceptance, sexual awakening, and first love set in a Nigeria on the verge of criminalizing same-sex relationships.

Obiefuna has always been the black sheep of his family–sensitive where his father, Anozie, is pragmatic, a dancer where his brother, Ekene, is a natural athlete. But when Obiefuna’s father witnesses an intimate moment between his teenage son and another boy, his deepest fears are confirmed, and Obiefuna is banished to boarding school.

As he navigates his new school’s strict hierarchy and unpredictable violence, Obiefuna both finds and hides who he truly is. Back home, his mother, Uzoamaka, must contend with the absence of her beloved son, her husband’s cryptic reasons for sending him away, and the hard truths that they’ve all been hiding from. As Nigeria teeters on the brink of criminalizing same-sex relationships, Obiefuna’s identity becomes more dangerous than ever before, and the life he wants drifts further out of reach.

Set in post-military Nigeria and culminating in the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act of 2013,Blessingsis an elegant and exquisitely moving story that asks how to live freely in a country that forbids one’s truest self, and what it takes for love to flourish despite it all.

CHUKWUEBUKA IBEHis a writer from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, born in 2000. His writing has appeared inMcSweeneys,New England Review of BooksandLolwe, amongst others, and he is a staff writer atBrittle Paper. He was the runner-up for the 2021 J.F. Powers Prize for Fiction, was a finalist for the Gerald Kraak Award, and was profiled as one of the “Most Promising New Voices of Nigerian Fiction” byElectric Literature. He has studied creative writing under Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dave Eggers, and Tash Aw, and is currently a an MFA student at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

• Publisher:Doubleday Books
• Publish Date:June 04, 2024
• Pages:288
• Dimensions: 5.76 X 1.06 X 8.53 inches | 0.95 pounds
• Language:English
• Type:Hardcover
• EAN/UPC:9780385550642
• BISAC Categories:LGBT – Gay, Coming of Age, African American – General