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Author: Ibeh, Chukwuebuka

Of specific Gay & Lesbian interest

Published on 9 January 2025 by Penguin Books Ltd in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 256 pages
197 x 128 x 15 | 182g

‘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.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZEAn excellent debut novel – John Boyne A moving debut about love and loneliness – Sunday Times Wonderful, vivid – Patrick Gale