August goes to university as a track star poised for success, and hoping to get out from under his overbearing sisters influence. There he meets Segun, who is openly gay, which in Nigeria is illegal, and he can’t stop thinking about him. While their love blooms, August feel unable to come out, under pressure from Segun to do so, they are surrounded by violence and hatred. Can they and their love survive?

This debut novel from this Nigerian author and queer liberation activist was handwritten and then typed up on a phone, because the author didn’t have access to a computer or the internet. It’s also the first book from a new and exciting imprint.

The novel is quite bold in it’s openness and rawness, which feels like a beautiful, liberating move from this author. He displays the world of his story with broad and vibrant strokes, capturing the sense of the place of family and children, societal and gender roles, in that society. It’s sometimes a hard read, because the author describes not just the loving parts, but the very real painful, damaging parts of being gay in Nigeria.

That said, this book, while clearly very heartfelt, was a bit flat for me. The characters felt a bit like stock players and not rounded and real enough for me. The book feels like it wants to tell a real and important story, but in doing so, it’s not quite fully developed.

That said, I was really happy to come across an African and Nigerian author, a rare find, and I enjoyed reading it for that reason, as well as it’s strong message.

Read it if: you want to add something to your June reading for Pride month or if you’re interested in reading a Nigerian author, this one would be an addition to your TBR.

Thank you to PGC Books for the copy of this book for review

and also for representing such a diverse range of authors from all over the world.