Blessings is a 2024 novel by the Nigerian author Chukwuebuka Ibeh. It was published by Penguin Random House's Viking Books imprint in 2024.[1]
 | |
| Author | Chukwuebuka Ibeh |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Viking Books |
Publication date | June 4, 2024 |
| ISBN | 9780735248052 |
Plot summary
Author
Chukwuebuka Ibeh was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, on 1 January 2000.[2] He is currently pursuing an MFA degree at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.[3] His writing, described by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as "so wonderfully observant...with a nostalgia for the past,"[4] has appeared in McSweeneys Quarterly Review,[5] The New England Review of Books, Dappled Things,[6] and Lolwe.[7] In 2019, he was named by Electric Literature as one of the "Most Promising New Voices of Nigerian Fiction."[8]
Development and publication
Viking Books announced its acquisition of Ibeh's in October 2022.[9] In May 2023, a year before the book's release, the film rights were sold to The Artists Partnership, a talent agency based in London.[10] In that same month, Ibeh gave a TEDx Talk entitled: "What Are African Values?" delivered at TEDxWUSTL in St Louis, Missouri.[11]
Reception
Blessings was positively received, including public recommendation from Zadie Smith.[12] The New York Times' Joshua Barone praised the novel's prose, describing it as "revelatory yet unresolved, simple yet polyphonic, hopeful yet full of heartbreak."[13] In a five-star review, The Telegraph called it "a smart literary attack on Nigeria’s anti-gay laws."[14] The Guardian described the novel as a "poignant tale of a talented and sensitive Nigerian boy, Obiefuna, who is caught by his conservative father in a clinch with another young man," ultimately deeming it "an emotive, affecting debut."[15] Buzz Magazine called it "a profound exploration of identity and acceptance."[16] Sunday Times called it "a moving debut about love and loneliness."[1]
In a slightly less enthusiastic review, Times Literary Supplement praised the book's "remarkably well-executed scenes," while saying it expected "a more compelling portrayal of the city and people of Port Harcourt."[2]
Blessings was longlisted for the 2024 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.[17] The book landed among Esquire's list of recommended books of 2024.[18] USA Today named it among the year's "best books by Black authors."[19]