To the dismay of her ambitious mother, Bolanle marries into a polygamous family, where she is the fourth wife of a rich, rotund patriarch, Baba Segi. She is a graduate and therefore a great prize, but even graduates must produce children and her husband’s persistent bellyache is a sign that things are not as they should be. Bolanle is too educated for the ‘white garment conmen’ Baba Segi would usually go to for fertility advice, so he takes her to hospital to discover the cause of her barrenness.

As their lives intertwine—in bustling markets and underground clubs, churches and hotel rooms—vagabonds are seized and challenged by spirits who command the city’s dark energy. Whether running from danger, meeting with secret lovers, finding their identities, or vanquishing their shadowselves, Osunde’s characters confront and support one another, before converging for the once-in-a-lifetime gathering that gives the book its unexpectedly joyous conclusion.

From shared laughter over mundane routines to life-changing events, each story reveals what it’s like to experience endings and beginnings in equal measure. Set in Kigali and beyond, this collection speaks to the rawness of growing up and the ache of a youth that fades too fast.

In the backdrop of ‘90s Festac, Gina’s heart is captivated by her first love, Mudi, until his father’s disapproval drives them apart. Enter Tobenna, a charming suitor whose love lacks the intensity of Mudi’s, yet still manages to ensnare Gina’s affections.

On the 28th of March 2022, a train from Abuja to Kaduna is attacked by terrorists. A month before, a young woman with big dreams finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Five years before then, two best friends survive a horic assault that alters the course of their lives. the room where an old man died.