And Then He Sang a Lullaby

(Paperback, Export/Airside)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

August is a God-fearing track star who has left Lagos and the expectations of his overbearing sisters back home. He carries their expectations, the shame of facing himself and the haunting memory of a mother he never knew. It's his first semester of university in Enugu State and he's making his way, finding friends and maybe even love, but there's one problem: he can't stop thinking about Segun, an openly gay student who works at the computer lab on campus. Segun has been wounded in so many ways and is reluctant to open himself up to August, wanting only to be with a man who is comfortable in his own skin, who will see and hold and love Segun, exactly as he is.

After Segun is brutally attacked by his roommates for being gay, August cares for his lover during his recovery as best he can, while grappling with his own fears. Their relationship grows into a comfortable intimacy that defies the violence around them. But there is only so long Segun can stand being loved behind closed doors, while August lives an entirely different life beyond the world they've created for themselves. And when a law is passed criminalizing gay marriage, August and Segun's love is tested like never before.

And Then He Sang a Lullaby is an aching story about all the ways your heart can break even when you find the courage to love. A necessary and urgent new voice, this debut is not to be missed.

Reviews

This moving debut is a touching queer coming of age story, a poignant romance, and, most affectingly, a damning indictment of the hate and homophobia that are all too prevalent in the modern world -- Rumaan Alam, author of LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND
After reading this courageous, heart-in-mouth debut about the lives and loves of young gay Nigerians I can't wait to see what Ani Kayode Somtochukwu writes next -- Patrick Gale, author of MOTHER'S BOY
In stunning, luminous prose, Ani Kayode Somtochukwu captures how it feels to carry both the love and burden of family, and what it costs to bear the weight of revolutions - the ones happening inside of us and beyond. A beautifully written, captivating debut! -- Deesha Philyaw, author of THE SECRET LIVES OF CHURCH LADIES
This book is astonishing. A gay love story set in present-day Nigeria, it's beautifully written but the experiences it explores are shocking, sobering and stirring. It's left me heartbroken but feeling privileged to have read it - and excited to see what Ani Kayode Somtochukwu writes next! -- Matt Cain, author of BECOMING TED
A beautifully-drawn book, tender and moving. I adored being in the embrace of Segun and August, as they navigate the unaccepting world around them and their longing for one another. Ani Kayode Somtochukwu writes with an ease and a wisdom that belies his age. This is exactly the kind of writing that makes your heart soar and whimper in equal parts -- Kasim Ali, author of GOOD INTENTIONS
I'm in awe of the way Somtochukwu writes into the knot of love, bringing forth the steely tenderness of queer desire amidst great peril. This isn't just a beautiful story, it's deeply needed and liberating. -- Saeed Jones, author of ALIVE AT THE END OF THE WORLD
This timely and striking love story resonates with authenticity * Publishers Weekly *

Author Bio

Ani Kayode Somtochukwu is an award-winning Nigerian writer and queer liberation activist. His work interrogates themes of queer identity, resistance and liberation and has appeared in literary magazines across Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. His work has received wide recognition, having been longlisted for the 2017 Awele Creative Trust Prize and the 2020 Afritondo Short Story Prize. He was shortlisted for the 2017 Erbacce Prize for Poetry, the 2020 ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award and the 2020 Toyin Falola Prize. The manuscript for this novel was awarded the 2021 James Currey Prize for African Literature.