When Obiefuna’s father sees a brief, intimate moment between his teenage son and a boy apprenticed to the family, Obiefuna is sent away to a strict religious boarding school. Torn from his mother’s side and cast into a world of tough boys, Obiefuna has no choice but to grow up fast, learning more about who he is and what he wants. Blessings is a coming-of-age story of a gentle, sensitive soul in several environments, each hostile to him in their own way. The firstborn son, he has a happy early childhood until a growing inability to fit in with his male peers lowers him in his father’s eyes. In the boarding school, life under cruel and unpredictable schoolboy rules leaves its mark on him, as he is torn between fitting in, and expressing himself freely. As a young adult, he is finally finding his place in the world just as there is a growing crackdown across Nigeria on same-sex relationships, or anyone suspected of being in one. Through each stage we see him navigating friendships and relationships, learning and growing.

Alternating between Obiefuna and his mother’s perspectives, this is a tender, moving and beautifully written debut looking at identity, masculinity, self-discovery, sexuality and desire, and how to live when we need to mask our true selves; at love, loneliness and the power of human connection when we most need it; at questions of religion and faith; and the struggles within families, between parents, when a child doesn’t fit in. His mother’s storyline sees her dealing with his absence and confronting the silences within her household, the social and political unrest around her, and considering her relationship with the men in her own family, as well as the situation in Nigeria for young men. Despite the bullying, oppression and violence within the story, there is also a lot of quiet tenderness, and there are many invaluable moments of connection, exploring the way people can hold each other up, and also the way people can seek to make amends where they let others down. A powerful yet sensitively written story, and a striking debut.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC.

There are some really poignant and fascinating questions asked in Ibeh's debut, highlighting not simply the constant struggles of the LGBTQ+ community in all corners of the globe, but especially those for Obiefuna, a boy growing up in a country that does not acknowledge same sex relationships. While I found it perhaps a little hard at times to get fully invested in certain characters, the power and message of Blessings shines through. Thanks to the publisher for an early ARC

A stunning story that you cannot help but devour and one that will certainly stick with you!

Excited to read more of what Chukwuebuka Ibeh has to offer in the future!

Obiefuna's tale was terrifically written! It was just Beautiful. It reminded me at times of Under the Udala Tree's, due to the themes presented in the tale, however, we got it through the black male perspective.

This definitely didn't make me feel like it was a debut novel because the characters were well developed and were able to be lovable, especially his mother.

Overall, I give this 4.5 stars. Thank you for allowing me to read an ARC.

Blessings is a brilliant book that uses narrative and a stream of conscious type method to deliver a message about LGBTQ experiences in Nigeria. We follow Obi as he comes of age, and into adulthood. He goes through a lot many of his first experiences traumatised not knowing who to trust in the end.

Wanting to protect himself he engages in homophobia and he doesn’t feel good about it. Despite all the trauma there is a beauty in how Obi explores relationships as an adult. He is very aware of what he wants and doesn’t back down from it. He chooses himself at every turn while some may see that as selfish, or a bid to preserve himself. Ultimately being gay in Nigeria shouldn’t be a death sentence, it’s empowering that Obi knows he deserves better.

This book is well paced and easy to read. Finished it in 5 hours and it takes a lot for me to finish books that quickly. Thanks to Netgalley and VikingUk for the D-Arc.

Sometimes you read a book that you know will last with you for along time ahead; Blessings is one of these books.

Obiefuna never fitted in with all the boys in the neighbourhood- he'd rather dance than play football and lived a fairly solitary childhood. An event in his teens results in his father sending him to a seminary boarding school.

Chukwubuka Ibeh has created a truly beautiful and moving story- exploring the life of Obiefuna as he navigates his teenage years and his acceptance and 'owning' of his own sexuality.

Obiefuna's story is also juxtaposed with the story of his mother, Uzoamaka, - whom he adores- and her isolation and sadness with the 'loss of her son'. and how she reflects upon her life with young Obiefuna and the bond.between them.

The challenges of boarding school- the humiliations, rules and compromises - are difficult to read as the pain, denial and hierarchy reach into Obiefuna's everyday existence. But it is the loneliness of Obiefuna that pervades from the page; his desire to be accepted, his isolation from his family and his need for love.

The story highlights the struggles of the LGBT+ community across the world but also shows the even more intense challenges in a country that refuses to acknowledge same sex relationships and love.

Towards the denouement when a glimmer of light and positivity shines upon Obiefuna's life and the world sees the USA Supreme Court state that the Defence of Marriage Act is discriminatory to the LGBT community, events take a different path in Nigeria.

This is a powerful book; told with sensitivity - incredibly beautiful and emotional .

The love and acceptance that is a privilege to many is equally denied to countless others as well- persecution is more evident than ever ( and increasingly so) and this powerful novel explores and draws attention to the fact we must never let discrimination/hatred be the dominant force and accepted! A stunning debut. Highly recommended

Stunning and emotional debut! I loved this! Gorgeous writing and I really connected with the main character.

After Obiefuna is caught in a compromising situation with his father’s apprentice, he is banished to a strict boarding school where he struggles to find his own identity.

This book was beautifully written and painted a vivid picture of what growing up gay in a conservative country like Nigeria is for some people. I loved how the author touched on Obiefuna’s relationship with both his parents and their relationship with each other.

I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

What a debut!

Ibeh manages to bring the reader on an emotional journey from childhood to adulthood with Obiefuna at the center of it all. His character experiences more heartbreak that most and is ultimately a boy doing his best to survive in less than ideal circumstances.

This book is a lens to showing the prejudices that are still alive today in Nigeria and beyond. The book is at times tense and difficult to swallow, and is at other times tender and loving.

Uzoamaka, Obiefuna's mother, may be one of my favourite characters ever written. I adore her and found it fascinating watching her struggle with dealing with her sons, her husband and her own personal issues and traumas.

This a remarkable debut that left me elated, disturbed, and everything in between.

Ibeh is an author to watch.

Thanks: Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There's so much to admire in this debut - it's a tender and emotionally insightful tale of growth and self-discovery, with true compassion shown to all involved. Recommended

🇳🇬 REVIEW 🇳🇬

Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh
Publishing Date: 22nd February

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📝 - Obiefuna is a young boy growing up in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, struggling to fit in with his peers and with the conservative tendencies of his culture. When he is caught in an intimate moment with his father’s apprentice, he is quickly shipped off to seminary school. Meanwhile, his mother, unaware of the reason for her husband’s actions, struggles to come to terms with being apart from her first child.

💭 - The book focuses mainly on Obiefuna’s life and the development of his identity over time, both from his and his mother’s point of view. We watch as Obiefuna makes choices, right or wrong, and begins to understand how he fits in the world around him. Despite the moments of violence and outrage within, Ibeh writes with a quietness and delicacy that permit the same emotion, without any need for unnecessary embellishments. While I did thoroughly enjoy this read, I might have preferred some of the main plot points to have been more detailed, as I felt more emotion could have been built up there. Nonetheless, a very impressive debut, and an author who likely has a bright future ahead.

A beautiful, soulful work of art. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel! The talent is outstanding.

It really tells two intertwined stories of the MC and his mother, in a very heartfelt and almost poetic way. They take us through the MC’s life in an emotional journey through the navigation of his life as a queer man living in Nigeria. There is so much love sprouting from the violence surrounding them, it was hard not to feel that carried with you even when the book was closed.

It was easy to read, as well, nothing felt like it was dragging and the pacing felt really well done. It was a little off towards the end but, saying that, it did match up to the emotional build up throughout the rest of the book.

I cannot wait to see what else this author produces in the future. This will stay with me for a long time, I think.

This is a tender tale filled with complex characters and emotions.



With every interaction, Obiefuna grows more aware of himself, but also of the world in which he lives – one which tragically grows more dangerous with every step he takes forward.



A heartbreaking search for happiness in a world where, for all too many, it is constantly denied.

4.5

Chukwuebuka Ibeh's novel brings a powerful new voice from Nigeria.

Blessings is the story of Obiefuna, whose only "crime" is to fall in love with another boy. Hos father's horrified reaction is to send his eldest son to a strict seminary where he endures bullying and violence meted out by older pupils and masters alike. During this time his father keeps him away from home even after his beloved mother is diagnosed with late stage cancer.

As Obiefuna's story develops after school he becomes embroiled in Nigeria's new anti-gay laws which mean he could be jailed or killed if he is discovered.

This book is a hard book to read especially in light of the new laws in other countries allowing gay marriage. Unfortunately Nigeria and other African countries have gone the opposite direction. It is horrifying to learn that homosexuals could be stoned to death if found guilty.

I've never understood prejudice against someone's sexuality, race, religion etc. I found my whole body clenching at some of the descriptions of the violence meted out to homosexual men and boys. There is also the growing threat of Boko Haram for Obiefuna's female friends.

This is a very powerful book and I hope to read more by this obviously talented young writer.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Penguin Books for the advance review copy.

This is a strong debut and coming of age story of Obiefuna, a young gay man in Nigeria- spanning from the early 2000s to 2016.

It tackles challenging issues including the reaction of his family, friends, and latterly the national government.

It’s an interesting and challenging read which I enjoyed. Some of the sections of the book feel a little disconnected, but overall a worthy read and great debut.

Overall I enjoyed this book and felt that the characters were well fleshed out. They felt very real in their flaws and imperfections which I think really added to the story. The story itself was pretty hard hitting and I definitely found aspects of it pretty hard to read.

The writing is beautiful and it makes the story all the more thought provoking but I did find that at certain points, especially in the second half that this had an impact on the overall pacing which then pulled me out of the story a little bit, it almost felt as though it was trying so hard to be lyrical it lost some of the character/story elements. I think I wanted more from the characters and less to the forming of specific sentences.

Overall this read was good and I am intrigued by what else the author publishes in future as I think their writing will only get more immersive from here.

A big thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for and ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a remarkable book, relating the experience of Obefiuna, a boy growing up in Nigeria. It delivers a fantastic sense of place and reminds readers in the UK that growing up gay in other parts of the world is an entirely different experience.

Made aware of his ‘otherness’ at a young age, Obi is sent away to a Christian boarding school by his father when he discovers him in a clinch with Aboy, his own apprentice.

Separated from his adoring mother, the novel follows Obi’s journey to manhood and makes clear the doubling down of Conservative Nigerian politics and legislature as a reaction to increasing liberalism in the West.

I found it a genuinely interesting read and loved the fact that Obi and his friends are depicted warts and all, with many difficult moral dilemmas faced along the way - with them often not behaving in the way you would expect or hope.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Blessing is, without doubt, a strong debut: Ibeh's prose is sparse and lyrical, his characters are tenderly sketched out, and his plot - which carefully picks apart issues around adolescence, intimacy, sexuality, and Nigerian culture - is both well developed and well-written. Our main protagonist, Obiefuna, who we follow as he is sent away from home to a strict religious boarding school (as a punishment for his fleeting relationship with another boy), is a complex, complicated young man, struggling to find himself as he also attempts to conceal his sexual identity from his family, friends, and professors. What is so admirable about the novel is that Ibeh never submits to cliche or tired archetypes - his portrait of queerness is neither overly idealistic, nor stereotypically tragic.

That being said, I failed to really connect with the story and the characters - I could appreciate Ibeh's talent as a novelist, but sadly did not feel truly invested in where the novel was going. I would, however, be interested to read more from him in future; I'm certain that he will only go from strength to strength from here.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for the free ARC of this book!

NO SPOILERS

The publisher’s description tells you all you need to know about the plot, story, themes and veracity of Blessings. What it doesn’t tell you is how beautifully it is written. Ibeh’s skill evokes empathy, outrage, and a feeling of hushed tones which had me whispering this book in my head as I read.

The love story is joyous, though unbearably sad, and this quote stood out for me. I think it sums up the entire book and probably the lives of many of us.

“All along Obiefuna had never felt like he was searching, but with Miebi he felt the peculiar relief of having finally been found”

I love character-driven stories like this. It was so interesting, emotional, and well written. This deals with really difficult topics - I love how different relationships were depicted in this book, especially between Obiefuna and his mother. Different POVs and time jumps are difficult for me to enjoy but this was sooo skillfully done and it was super enjoyable, I'm really happy about that!!