Blessings
‘A sublime coming-of-age tale’ Guardian
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4.6 • 5 Ratings
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
'Chukwuebuka Ibeh's writing has a certain delicacy to it, so wonderfully observant, and so beautiful' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
'A sublime coming-of-age tale… an extraordinarily composed and deeply felt debut' Guardian
When Obiefuna's father witnesses an intimate moment between his teenage son and the family's apprentice, newly arrived from the nearby village, he banishes Obiefuna to a Christian boarding school marked by strict hierarchy and routine, devastating violence. Utterly alienated from the people he loves, Obiefuna begins a journey of self-discovery and blossoming desire, while his mother Uzoamaka grapples to hold onto her favourite son, her truest friend.
Interweaving the perspectives of Obiefuna and his mother Uzoamaka, as they reach towards a future that will hold them both, BLESSINGS is an elegant and exquisitely moving story of love and loneliness. Asking how we can live freely when politics reaches into our hearts and lives, as well as deep into our consciousness, it is a stunning, searing debut.
'A moving debut about love and loneliness' Sunday Times
'Marks the arrival of Chukwuebuka Ibeh as a significant new moral, literary talent' The i
'Wonderful, vivid' Patrick Gale
'A magnificent debut' Daily Telegraph
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Ibeh's engrossing debut, a gay Nigerian man is ostracized by his family and society as he struggles to be himself. As a boy, Obiefuna is close with his mother, Uzoamaka, but feels distant from his father, Anozie, who invites another young boy to live with their family and work in his building supply store. Obiefuna develops a crush on the boy, and when Anozie witnesses them acting on their shared feelings, he sends Obiefuna away to a religious boarding school, much to Uzoamaka's dismay. Anozie continues to isolate Obiefuna from the family, banning him from returning for holidays, prompting Uzoamaka to vigorously object. As the years go by at school, Obiefuna carries on various sexual relationships despite the country's prohibition of homosexuality, while his mother continues to protest his father's choice to send him away ("It's one thing to love a child, but it's an entirely different thing for the same child to feel loved"). When Uzoamaka is diagnosed with cancer, she hides the news from Obiefuna, fearful of how he'll be affected and hopeful she'll be cured before they see each other again. Ibeh incisively portrays the family members' conflicting emotions and strife, and offers a bracing depiction of queer life in Nigeria. Readers won't want to miss this.
