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August is a God-fearing track star who leaves Enugu City to attend university and escape his overbearing sisters. He carries the weight of their lofty expectations, the shame of facing himself, and the haunting memory of a mother he never knew. It’s his first semester and pressures aside, August is making friends, doing well in his classes. He even almost has a girlfriend. There’s only one problem: he can’t stop thinking about Segun, an openly gay student who works at a local cybercafé. Segun carries his own burdens and has been wounded in too many ways. When he meets August, their connection is undeniable, but Segun is reluctant to open himself up to August. He wants to love and be loved by a man who is comfortable in his own skin, who will see and hold and love Segun, exactly as he is.
Despite their differences, August and Segun forge a tender intimacy that defies the violence around them. But there is only so long Segun can stand being loved behind closed doors, while August lives a life beyond the world they’ve created together. And when a new, sweeping anti-gay law is passed, August and Segun must find a way for their love to survive in a Nigeria that was always determined to eradicate them. A tale of rare bravery and profound beauty, And Then He Sang a Lullaby is an extraordinary debut that marks Ani as a voice to watch.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 6, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593791738
- File size: 264687 KB
- Duration: 09:11:25
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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April 17, 2023
Nigerian writer Ani's auspicious debut chronicles the hope and pain of two queer students as they embark on a forbidden relationship at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka. August has always struggled to live up to his “venerable” name, feeling “he was unworthy of anything but failure.” After August meets Segun at a cybercafé, he has frequent thoughts about the other man and revisits the café to see him again. But with homosexuality being illegal, August tells Segun, “I don’t know how to live this life.” Segun, in contrast, refuses to be ashamed of who he is. He’s also had his share of difficulties, having dealt with an abusive relationship and bullying from roommates. Then, after August and Segun split up, Segun is attacked. The incident prompts August to give up his self-loathing, acknowledge his sexuality, and redouble his efforts to be with Segun. In emotionally fraught scenes, Ani lays bare the characters’ fragile states, with August grappling with his fear and excitement after a kiss or Segun processing his anger over past abuses. This timely and striking love story resonates with authenticity. Agent: Emma Shercliff, Laxfield Literary Assoc. -
October 1, 2023
Nigerian author and activist Ani debuts with an affecting coming-of-age story focusing on two queer men navigating life in contemporary Nigeria. August and Segun are both only sons living in a society openly hostile to members of the LBGTQIA+ community. While studying at the University of Nigeria, they meet at a cybercaf� where Segun is working; they are immediately drawn to each other, but their relationship doesn't sit easy, as August is closeted, and Segun refuses to deny his sexuality. Both men carry their own burdens--August struggles with the weight of familial expectations, and Segun, who has never presented as stereotypically masculine, has been bullied from an early age. The couple take stock of their relationship when unyielding legislation banning same-sex relationships is enacted, and Segun is viciously beaten in a homophobic attack. Narrator Michael Obiora, born in London to Nigerian-Igbo parents, provides an immersive listening experience, capturing the richness of Ani's language and bringing out the depth of his characters. VERDICT Twenty-three-year-old Ani, who wrote his novel by hand and typed it into his cell phone, stuns with this emotional roller-coaster of a story about finding love in the worst possible circumstances.--Laura Trombley
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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