Love transcends race, culture and religion: the book explores the universal theme of love through Naija short tales to celebrate a proud dual heritage.
Ola Awonubi’s love of books lead her to notice the absence of stories about her Nigerian heritage, after 17 years of living in Nigeria her desire to share tales of the rich and vibrant complexities of Nigerian life burned brightly, and Naija Love Stories was born.
“The book is the result of bringing the two cultures in my life together,” says Ola . She was raised with an English foster family, but spent 17 years living in Nigeria, she discovered the stark differences between the cultures and recognized the universal themes of love, lust, jealousy, revenge, power and even murder, that transcend race, religion or distance. The human condition that drives us all.
Naija Love Stories is a collection of 12 tales exploring the complex and intoxicating emotions that all humans encounter in their lifetime. We all choose to love, and prioritise the thing we love differently in our lives – our family, possession, money and even power – but to what end?
Set against the background of a rich and vibrant Nigerian culture, the book takes you on a journey through the lives of characters all grappling with the different concepts of what it means to love and be loved.
An already experienced and published author, #OlaAwonubi studied for an MA in Creative Writing and Imaginative Practice at the University of East London and in 2008 her short story The Pink House won first prize in the National Words of Colour Competition. Another tale – The Go -Slow Journey followed this, winning the first prize in the #Wasafiri New Writing Award 2009.
Released on the 23rd October 2018, Naija Love Stories lets its reader explore the powerful range of human emotions we all encounter through 12 gripping, heart wrenching and thought-provoking short stories. A must read for any literary lover looking for a new and evocative look at the primal emotion of love, and the depths and lengths that we’d go to protect the things we love the most. Buy the book on Amazon here. Paperback £11.99
