Nigerian novels

Every year, an overwhelming number of books get released. The reader’s dilemma is that even though we wish we could read them all, we can only realistically get through a fraction of them.

That doesn’t mean we can’t try, though. And in that trying, these are the ones that stood out enough to make this list.

Here is a list of Nigerian books that told the most important stories, equally penned in unforgettable ways.

10. Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

The Death of the Author is a book within a book about Zelu, a disabled Nigerian-American writer whose sci-fi novel about robots in post-apocalyptic Nigeria becomes a massive hit. As Zelu navigates stardom, she’s offered experimental robotic exoskeletons that could allow her to walk again, a decision that puts her at odds with her family who view the technology as unnatural.

What I love most is how bold the storytelling is. I wouldn’t have imagined a Nigerian sci-fi novel, but Nnedi Okorafor pulled it off and did it so well. It is one of those books that you can’t put down. If you love stories about stories and don’t mind your brain working overtime, you’ll enjoy it.

Shop Death of the Author on Amazon.

9. Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite

After the phenomenon that was My Sister, the Serial Killer, Oyinkan came back with this multigenerational saga about the Falodun women and the curse that makes them unlucky in love. When Monife dies, and her cousin, Ebun, gives birth to a daughter who looks exactly like Monife, everyone believes in reincarnation. Is the curse real or is it a self-fulfilling prophecy?

In Cursed Daughters, Braithwaite gives us incredibly complex and layered characters. This complexity shows up in how she explores the curse. At first, it feels like a dark cloud hanging over the Falodun women, but soon you’re wondering if it’s simply generational trauma. Ultimately, the book is a worthy follow-up that proves she’s not a one-hit wonder.

Shop Cursed Daughters on Amazon.

8. Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola

Kiki Banjo hosts a relationship advice podcast, but her own love life is in shambles. Three years after their devastating breakup, she’s forced to face her ex, Malakai at her best friend’s wedding where—surprise!—he’s the best man.

Babalola writes romance stories that tug at your heartstrings. The banter feels natural, and she isn’t afraid to turn up the heat. Fans of her other books will enjoy this new entry.

Shop Sweet Heat on Amazon.

7. The Re-Write by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Temi is a struggling romance writer. Wale is her ex who dumped her to go on a reality dating show. Now she’s been hired to ghostwrite his memoir. It’s basically an enemies-to-lovers plot but make it “lovers-to-exes-to-enemies”.

Lizzie knows how to write characters who feel real. The cultural references are not cringe and watching Temi and Wale navigate their mess is entertaining. As someone who is wary of reading books that use internet slang, I appreciated how carefully she handles it.

Shop The Re-write on Amazon.

6. A Forever Kind of Love by Adesuwa Nwokedi

Twenty years after Ogonna broke Nonso’s heart, they reconnect and he falls for her all over again. But just as he’s ready to commit after years of emotional guardedness, history threatens to repeat itself.

Fundamentally, it’s a love story about two stubborn characters. It is no news that Nwokedi writes romance that is very Nigerian but tender. And A Forever Kind of Love does not fall short. Moreover, this is part of her Malomo High Reunion series, so there’s that comforting feel for OG followers of the series.

Shop A Forever Kind of Love on Amazon.

5. Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson

This debut fantasy drops you into the Kingdom of Oru where everyone can harness the power of the sun,except L’ore. When her best friend Alawani faces a deadly trial, she discovers she has forbidden ice and shadow magic instead.

The world-building in this novel is one of the best I have come across in a while. The magic system is even more impressive. Anson’s writing draws you in and doesn’t let you leave. That said, it is a phenomenal debut with twists that will have your jaw on the floor. It establishes Anson as a fantasy writer to watch out for.

Shop First Born of the Sun on Amazon.

4. This Motherless Land by Nikki May

After losing her mother and brother in a tragic accident, nine-year-old Funke is sent from Nigeria to live with her white British relatives in England. Her aunt is racist and awful, but her cousin Liv becomes the colour in her cloudy life. This Mansfield Park retelling spans decades as Funke (now Kate) and Liv navigate love, loss, friendship and the question of where they truly belong.

Nikki May deeply immerses you in the character of Funke. She writes with such emotional depth that’ll leave you crying, laughing, and screaming in anger—sometimes all in the same chapter. It is as if you are living in her head. You also get to view the other characters through her sensibilities.

Shop This Motherless Land on Amazon.

3. Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chiamaka is a travel writer stuck in quarantine reflecting on her failed relationships. Her best friend Zikora is a lawyer dealing with heartbreak and single motherhood. Omelogor is a depressed graduate student. And Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, faces an unthinkable crisis. Set during COVID-19, this book asks: what does it mean to choose yourself?

When an author of Adichie’s caliber makes a literary comeback, it is almost certain, it will be a hit. After 12 years without a novel, she came back swinging with prose that’s both beautiful and incisive. Dream Count is proof that Chimamanda is still a socially relevant feminist voice. At its core, the novel is less about these four women and their individual lives and more about the broader social world they inhabit and how it affects them.

Shop Dream Count on Amazon.

2. Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde

This novel-in-stories follows a group of queer Nigerians in Lagos as they build chosen families and survive in a society that refuses to see them. From artists to actors to everyday people just trying to live authentically, Osunde captures the beauty and pain of carving out space for yourself when the world wants you to disappear.

Eloghosa Osunde is a writer’s writer. The prose is stunning and the way she masterfully crafts sentences is different levels of beautiful. The characters are so well-fleshed out, you’ll feel like you know them. It is truly a necessary piece of fiction.

Shop Necessary Fiction on Amazon.

1. Madam Sosostris & the Festival for Broken Hearted by Ben Okri

There are tons of music and literary festivals to attend in real life. In this masterpiece, Ben Okri writes one that I wish existed in Lagos: a festival for the broken-hearted. Twenty years after her first husband left, Viv hosts a festival for the broken-hearted in a magical forest in France. She invites the famous fortune-teller Madame Sosostris (yes, from T.S Eliot’s famous poem, The Waste Land) to help heal everyone’s romantic wounds. But when plans go awry, two couples are forced to confront the masks they wear and the truths they’ve been avoiding.

This book is what happens when a Booker Prize winner decides to write about love. It reads like a modern fable with the magical realism that makes Okri OKRI. He doesn’t hesitate to give a nod to literary giants like T.S Elliot, taking us on a deep dive into the philosophical.

Shop Madam Sosostris & the Festival for Broken Hearted on Amazon.

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Nigerians are expert storytellers, no doubt about it. This fact is evident in our largely oral history. But over the decades, our oral history began being recorded into stories that are as timeless and relevant – if not more than sef – as all the Shakespeare and Grimm Brothers’ fairytales.

Here are 16 timeless Nigerian books that the rest of the world ought to gather, sit down and read in much the same fashion as we used to read all their tea-sippin’, cookie-lovin’ stories:

1. God’s Big Toe by Obii Nwachukwu-Agbada

This story is about how one spoiled rich boy, Onwubiko’s life changes when his father dies. An important universal tale for all those privileged kids that forget to wake up grateful every morning.

2. Without a silver spoon by Eddie Iroh

From a book about a boy who had it all, to a book about a boy who did not really have anything to begin with. Without a silver spoon teaches that honesty is indeed the best policy; a universal lesson for everyone.

3. The Second Chance by Nyengi Koin

This is a story of how love conquers all. Move over Romeo and Juliet, come see how real romance plays out.

4. The Passport of Mallam Ilia by Cyprian Ekwensi

It is a story of betrayal and revenge told in such a way that keeps you captivated to the end. It also shows a glimpse of the Northern Nigerian culture and history.

5. The Drummer Boy by Cyprian Ekwensi

This is a very touching story of Akin, the blind drummer boy, and all the many people he meets on his rigmarole sojourn in the world. It’s a touching tale of what blind trust looks like – both figuratively and literally.

6. Dizzy Angel by Grace Nma Osifo

What’s it like being an ogbanje? I will never forget that scene where she describes making herself faint. This one is just a beautiful story of how in spite of tradition and superstitious beliefs, Ogbanje was still able to choose her own destiny. It has everything you will love in a good story, action, drama and yes, what is a good African tale without a bit of magic?

7. The Bottled Leopard by Chukwuemeka Ike

This epic novel will open your mind to the mystical realities in such a way that you have never experienced it. You will wake up in the middle of the night and wonder if you are really alone in the world. The spirit world will join with the real world. You will learn that before there were aliens, there were spirits.

8. The Incorruptible Judge by D. Olu Olagoke

Just like it’s title, this book is about a judge that simply refused to take bribe. Not quite like some real life judges today. But it just goes to show that there is no “fantastically corrupt” nation, only people. And also that corruption can exist in the most seemingly insignificant and subtle of places.

9. Efuru by Flora Nwapa

This is a pioneer story which features a Nigerian heroine that blazed the trail for many future novels with heroines. It will change everything the world thought it knew about women in historically patriarchal Nigeria.

10. The Stillborn by Zaynab Alkali

Yet another book that addresses the female reality in historically and traditionally patriarchal Nigeria. For all those who think feminism is a western construct, think again.

11. The Concubine by Elechi Amadi

This strong debut novel does what most novels of that time did; it explored the power of the spiritual in Nigerian culture. It will also teach you how to know if you have spirit husband.

12. Toads For Supper by Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike

A complicated tale of love. Inarguably a classic. Which should be more than enough reason to read it.

13. The Last Duty by Isidore Okpewho

The writing style isn’t the only thing to love about this book, there’s also the strong themes and characters. It’s a powerful book about war and the emotional and psychological consequences of war and it should have it’s place up there right next to A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway.

14. The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta

This story takes you through the life of Nnu Ego and shows you every woman, or female, you have ever known. And the beauty of it is, this story is not just a depiction of a Nigerian reality, it shows a glimpse of a worldwide reality. Pretty heavy stuff!

15. & 16. Eze Goes to School And Eze Goes To College

Co-authored by Onuora Nzekwu and Michael Crowder, is there any book more iconic than these two? It is the story of a boy who is determined to go to school despite the many challenges on his way.

And now, here’s a list of Nigerian novels that will make pretty awesome movies:

https://zikoko.com/list/9-nigerian-novels-that-would-make-amazing-movies/