After a remarkable 2024 that saw our recommended reads soar, including Pemi Aguda’s National Book Award-nominated Ghostroots, Aiwanose Odafen’s haunting We Were Girls Once, Foluso Agbaje’s riveting The Parlor Wife, and Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s masterful debut Blessings. We’re back to forecast another extraordinary year in Nigerian literature. Our 2025 selection showcases both emerging voices and established […]
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After a remarkable 2024 that saw our recommended reads soar, including Pemi Aguda’s National Book Award-nominated Ghostroots, Aiwanose Odafen’s haunting We Were Girls Once, Foluso Agbaje’s riveting The Parlor Wife, and Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s masterful debut Blessings. We’re back to forecast another extraordinary year in Nigerian literature.
Our 2025 selection showcases both emerging voices and established talents, with titles we believe will dominate literary conversations and awards ceremonies in the months ahead. Let’s explore the books set to reshape the Nigerian literary landscape this year.
Dream Count – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Twelve years after Americanah captivated readers worldwide, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie returns with Dream Count. It features Zikora, a character first introduced in her 2020 Amazon original short story. The novel weaves together the lives of Zikora and her best friend Chiamaka as they navigate complex life choices.
Announcing the book on Instagram last October, Adichie revealed its ambitious scope: “DREAM COUNT is contemporary: Covid. Sexual assault inspired by a true story. Depression. A man’s extreme “ghosting” of a woman. Fibroids. Teenage self-esteem. PMS. But also timeless: Injustice. Dignity. Regret. What is a full life? What does “meaning” mean?”
The announcement sent ripples through the literary community, and understandably so. Adichie’s work has shaped contemporary discussions on feminism, identity, and culture. And Dream Count promises to tackle pressing modern issues while exploring eternal human questions. The anticipation speaks not just to Adichie’s literary prowess, but to her enduring influence as a cultural touchstone.
Death of the Author – Nnedi Okorafor
Acclaimed speculative fiction writer Nnedi Okorafor ventures into deeply personal territory with Death of the Author. This novel secured a million-dollar deal and draws inspiration from Roland Barthes’ seminal essay.
Originally titled The AfricanFuturist, the story follows Zelu, a disabled Nigerian-American writer whose path to literary stardom through her science fiction epic Rusted Robots becomes a compelling exploration of identity, family, and the price of success.
“I wrote this from the gut, through pain, and because of the loss of my sister,” Okorafor revealed when announcing the book deal. The personal nature of this work marks a significant moment for the author, who has built her reputation on groundbreaking African speculative fiction like Who Fears Death, Akata Witch, and Remote Control.
Released on January 14 through HarperCollins’ William Morrow imprint, Death of the Author promises to showcase a new dimension of Okorafor’s storytelling prowess, blending her signature speculative elements with an intimate narrative about loss, resilience, and the complicated relationship between creators and their work.
Necessary Friction – Eloghosa Osunde
Following their critically acclaimed debut Vagabonds! Eloghosa Osunde returns with Necessary Friction, an ambitious novel weaving together the lives of over two dozen characters in contemporary Lagos. The narrative centers on queer, non-binary, trans, and poly individuals as they navigate the city’s vibrant art and entertainment scenes while pursuing authentic lives amid societal pressures.
Born from years of deep personal contemplation and expanding on themes from their award-winning short story Good Boy, Osunde crafts what they describe as a “talisman for courage and possibility.” The novel probes fundamental questions about family, identity, and freedom, challenging traditional definitions of kinship while celebrating the power of self-definition.
The novel is scheduled for release on July 22. It will be available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.
The Edge of Water – Olufunke Grace Bankole
In this stunning debut novel set between Nigeria and New Orleans, Bankole weaves a multigenerational tale of prophecy, ambition, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.
Set for release on February 4, 2025, by Tin House Books, The Edge of Water follows Amina, a young Nigerian woman who defies a prophetic warning to pursue her American dreams in New Orleans, until a hurricane threatens to sweep away everything she’s built.
Bankole, a Harvard Law School graduate, and Soros Justice Advocacy Fellow, masterfully intertwines Yoruba Christianity, traditional religion, and folklore in this expansive narrative. The novel traces three generations of women as they navigate love, loss, and the complex dance between destiny and desire.
The Tiny Things Are Heavier – Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo
Two weeks after her brother Mezie’s suicide attempt, Sommy leaves Nigeria for graduate school in the United States, carrying the weight of guilt and unresolved family trauma.
In her debut novel set for release on June 24, by Bloomsbury Publishing, Esther Okonkwo explores displacement and belonging through Sommy’s complex relationships. From tensions with her Nigerian roommate Bayo to a charged romance with Bryan, a biracial American grappling with his disconnected Nigerian heritage.
Moving between the American Midwest and Lagos, the novel has already captured the attention of literary luminaries. Kiley Reid, author of the New York Times bestseller Such a Fun Age, praises it as “a gracefully told and sharply observed debut,” while National Book Award nominee Sarah Thankam Mathews celebrates it as “a brave, winning novel of contemporary migration, with all the collisions and losses, the transformations and conflicts it brings.”
The Years of Blood: Poems – Adedayo Agarau
Nigerian poet Adedayo Agarau’s highly anticipated debut poetry collection, The Years of Blood, is set to be published by Fordham University Press in Fall 2025.
This remarkable collection has already earned notable accolades, including the Poetic Justice Institute Editors Prize for a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Writer. It was also a runner-up for the prestigious X.J. Kennedy Poetry Prize.
Described as an “achingly personal coming-of-age story drawing on Yoruba cosmology,” The Years of Blood takes readers deep into the haunting experiences of Agarau’s childhood in Ibadan, Nigeria. The poems capture a society scarred by violence but illuminated by its enduring resilience and hope for a better future.\
Adedayo Agarau is a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and a Cave Canem Fellow. He earned his MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2023, receiving multiple scholarships along the way. His poetry has appeared in esteemed publications like Poetry Magazine, Poetry Society of America, and World Literature Today. In addition, Agarau serves as Editor-in-Chief of Agbowó, a platform celebrating African literature and art.
A New New Me – Helen Oyeyemi
Helen Oyeyemi, acclaimed for her inventive storytelling, returns with A New New Me, a novel to be published on May 6 by Penguin Random House.
The story follows Kinga, a woman living alone in Prague with an extraordinary existence: each day of the week, a different version of herself takes charge. From the disciplined and methodical Kinga-A on Mondays to the carefree Kinga-E on Fridays, each persona leads a distinct life, complete with unique traits and professions. This fragile balance unravels when Kinga-A stumbles upon a man tied up in their apartment—a man none of the Kingas claim to know. As suspicions arise, the selves must confront the unsettling possibility that one among them may have betrayed the rest.
Oyeyemi, celebrated for works like Parasol Against the Axe, is known for masterfully exploring identity and her daring narrative experiments. With A New New Me, she continues to push the boundaries of storytelling, blending mystery and psychological insight.
Harmattan – Tochi Onyebuchi
Tochi Onyebuchi’s Harmattan is a hard-boiled fantasy noir set in a postcolonial West African city, merging the gritty sensibilities of Raymond Chandler with the vivid imagination of P. Djèlí Clark. This evocative tale explores themes of identity, resistance, and the lingering shadows of colonialism.
Boubacar, a veteran turned private investigator, prefers a life of solitude, especially as the Harmattan—a dry, dust-laden trade wind—descends on the city. But his quiet existence is disrupted when a bleeding woman shows up at his doorstep, only to vanish soon after. Her fleeting appearance sets off a chain of events that drags Boubacar into the city’s dangerous undercurrents.
Known for acclaimed works like Riot Baby, Goliath, and Beasts Made of Night, Onyebuchi masterfully fuses speculative fiction with sharp social commentary. In Harmattan, he crafts a compelling narrative filled with intrigue, complexity, and a powerful sense of place. The novel is expected on 27 May.
