Blessings

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A stunning debut novel charting the coming-of-age of a young gay man in 2010s Nigeria, from a young rising star in literary fiction 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.

Reviews

A tender, yet powerful story, poetic and wise. Ibeh draws such beautiful characters, and through their eyes, teaches us that love cannot be beaten or threatened from the human heart. From the first chapter, this book won't let you go. -- AJ West
Wonderful, vivid -- Patrick Gale
A moving debut about love and loneliness -- Sunday Times
Wow what a debut! I was left feeling heartbroken yet hopeful. Chukwuebuka Ibeh is a beautiful writer. -- Taylor-Dior Rumble, author of THE SITUATIONSHIP
A sublime coming-of-age tale an extraordinarily composed and deeply felt debut * Guardian *
An excellent debut novel -- John Boyne
As engaging as doorstoppers can be, there is an unparalleled pleasure in something short and searing. Chukwuebuka Ibehs debut is set in modern-day Nigeria, where the countrys criminalisation of same-sex marriage has created a hostile atmosphere for the LGBTQ+ population. After an intimate moment with the family apprentice, Obiefuna is sent to a Christian boarding school by his father. So begins a process of self-discovery. Blessings is told from Obiefuna and his mothers perspective, a dynamic which has plenty of potential for the profound. * Esquire, The Biggest Books Landing on Your Reading List in 2024 *
Stark yet tender, balancing episodes of hope with episodes of gut-plummeting sadness, this is an accomplished novel, distinguished by sensitive prose and taut scene-making * Daily Mail *
A magnificent debut Ibeh has the ability to ensure his political positions inform, rather than overwhelm, the intimate dramas at the heart of his fiction. Hes vocal about the writers he admires among them, Buchi Emecheta, Jhumpa Lahiri, Zadie Smith and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and clearly ambitious. With writing this good, its to be hoped hell soon find his name among their ranks * Daily Telegraph *
Blessings is the poignant tale of a talented and sensitive Nigerian boy, Obiefuna, who is caught by his conservative father in a clinch with another young gay man... an emotive, affecting debut * Observer *
Blessings is as raw and heart-wrenching as it is beautiful and delicate. A masterfully executed story about love, faith and sexuality that clenches your heart and doesnt let go until the very last page. Ibeh is a once in a lifetime talent! -- Elvin James Mensah
Blessings, the debut novel by the Nigerian author Chukwuebuka Ibeh, who was born in 2000, is a devastating account of a young queer mans most formative years. Tender and enraging, it is a story about the brutality of Nigerian law, under which homosexuality remains illegal today. It is also a story about adolescent desire and the personal yet universal trickiness of working out who and how we are, and what we want. It marks the arrival of Chukwuebuka Ibeh as a significant new moral, literary talent * The i *
Blessings is a stunning and exceptionally moving story of love, shame, redemption and fierce familial bonds... Im grateful that this beautiful book exists, and I will return to it again and again as if for the first time -- Francesca Ekwuyasi, author of BUTTER HONEY PIG BREAD
There is music to the way Chukwuebuka Ibeh writes. There is balance. Blessings pulled me into a world Im extremely unfamiliar with, yet somehow made it comfortable, even resonant. The intimate storytelling, the powerful dialogue, and the well-paced narrative all made it one hell of a heartbreakingly joyous read. Each chapter of this debut novel enthralled me, pushing me to the next, eager to share the road with its unforgettable protagonist right up to the ending, which made me want to start from the beginning again. On top of it all, Ibeh has provided a meaningful representation of queer Nigeriansone that opens borders and breaks barriers. An opportunity for many not only to see what Obiefuna and his mother see, but also to feel what they feel. Run, dont walk, to get this book. -- Danny Ramadan, author of The Foghorn Echoes
Revelatory yet unresolved, simple yet polyphonic, hopeful yet full of heartbreak -- New York Times

Author Bio

Chukwuebuka Ibeh is a young writer from Port Harcourt, Nigeria. His writing has appeared in McSweeneys, The New England Review of Books and Lolwe, amongst others, and he is a staff writer at Brittle Paper. He was the Runner-up for the 2021 J.F Powers Prize for Fiction, a finalist for the Gerald Kraak Award and Morland Foundation Scholarship and was profiled as one of the "Most Promising New Voices of Nigerian Fiction" in Electric Literature. He has studied creative writing under Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dave Eggers and Tash Aw. He is a student on a fully funded MFA programme at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, until 2024.