Ever since I saw the news about Chimamanda’s upcoming release, I’ve been eagerly anticipating it. Titled Dream Count, the book follows the lives of a Nigerian travel writer named Chiamaka, her best friend Zikora, her cousin Omelogor, and her housekeeper Kadiatou.
If there’s any oddly specific genre I love, it’s Nigerian fiction that explores the connections among a group of women.
Unfortunately, Dream Count will be released on March 4, 2025. So even though it’s been 11 years since her last feature-length book, you’ll still have to wait a bit longer to read it.
In the meantime, I’ve compiled a list of similar Nigerian novels to keep us all occupied while we wait for Dream Count’s release.
- Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Zikora gets the number one spot as it forms a part of the plot of Dream Count, telling the story of one of the characters mentioned above, Zikora, Chiamaka’s best friend. It is a short story that explores the experience of pregnancy and childbirth, focusing on a professional woman. Zikora is a 39-year-old Nigerian lawyer in the United States who finds herself in a relationship with Kwame, a “perfect man”. They have a smooth-sailing relationship until she gets pregnant, and everything goes south because he wants nothing to do with the pregnancy. As such, she is forced to raise her baby alone.
- Wahala by Nikki May
Wahala by Nikki May follows the lives of three Nigerian British friends—Simi, Ronke, and Boo— whose friendship is tested when a mysterious newcomer, Isobel, enters their lives. Secrets are exposed as Isobel’s influence grows, leading to jealousy and betrayal. The novel explores friendship, identity, and cultural heritage themes and shows how easily friendships can shatter under pressure.
This list contains Wahala because it examines friendship among women and does this through a toxic lens, highlighting how sometimes, despite our best attempts, we women can find ourselves in bad friendships.
- Tomorrow I Become A Woman by Aiwanose Odafen
This book primarily focuses on Uju, the main character, while also exploring her decades-long relationship with her friends Ada and Chinelo, which begins when their mothers board the same bus to Lagos. It follows Uju’s journey from being a university student to a mother trapped in an abusive marriage. The story touches on themes such as patriarchy, domestic abuse, and motherhood, emphasizing the need for safe spaces for women.
- We Were Girls Once by Aiwanose Odafen
We Were Girls Once continues the story of Tomorrow I Become A Woman. It focuses on the daughters of the women introduced previously and how the relationships between mothers and daughters can shape lives. In the book, we watch the characters Ego, Zina, and Eriife go down separate paths in life only to entwine once more.
- Butter Honey Pig Bread By Francesca Ekwuyasi
BHPB tells the story of a mother and her twin daughters and the consequences of our choices. It is a story of queer love, family and food. The mother, Kambirinachi, feels she was born an Ogbanje, and the twins, Taiye and Kehinde, have a fractured bond as a result of childhood trauma. The book deals with heavy topics but handles them very gently and hopefully.
