Blessings (novel) explained

Pub Date:4 June 2024
Author:Chukwuebuka Ibeh
Isbn:9780735248052
Publisher:Viking Books

Blessings is a 2024 novel by Nigerian author Chukwuebuka Ibeh. It was published by Penguin Random House's Viking Books imprint in 2024.[1] [2]

Author

Chukwuebuka Ibeh was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in 2000.[3] He is currently pursuing an MFA degree at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.[4] His writing, described by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as "so wonderfully observant...with a nostalgia for the past",[5] has appeared in McSweeney's Quarterly Review,[6] The New England Review of Books, Dappled Things.[7] and Lolwe.[8] In 2019, he was named by Electric Literature as one of the "Most Promising New Voices of Nigerian Fiction".[9]

Development and publication

Viking Books announced its acquisition of Ibeh's "miraculous" debut novel in October 2022.[10] 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. In that same month, Ibeh gave a TEDx Talk entitled "What Are African Values?" delivered at TEDxWUSTL in St Louis, Missouri.

Reception

Blessings was positively received, including public recommendation from Zadie Smith.[11] In 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."[12] A five-star review in The Telegraph called it "a smart literary attack on Nigeria's anti-gay laws."[13] The Observer 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". Buzz Magazine called it "a profound exploration of identity and acceptance."[14] The Sunday Times called it "a moving debut about love and loneliness."[15]

In a slightly less enthusiastic review, The 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".[16]

Blessings was longlisted for the 2024 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.[17] The book landed among Esquires list of recommended books of 2024.[18] USA Today named it among the year's "best books by Black authors".[19]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chukwuebuka Ibeh Blessings. Penguin Books Ltd.
  2. Web site: 22-Year-Old Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s Debut Novel Blessings Will Be Published By Viking in 2024. Kuhelika . Ghosh . 1 November 2022 . 14 October 2024 . . en-US.
  3. News: Mamata . Bidisha . Bidisha Mamata. 2024-03-03 . Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh review – when a clinch is a crime . 2024-03-21 . The Observer . en-GB . 0029-7712.
  4. Web site: Chukwuebuka Ibeh's Forthcoming Novel Secures Film Agent and 4 International Book Deals . Kuhelika. Ghosh. 18 May 2023 . 2024-03-21 . brittlepaper.com.
  5. Web site: 30 July 2019 . Purple Hibiscus Literary Evening Event with Chimamanda Adichie . 2024-03-21 . Brittle Paper. YouTube . English.
  6. Web site: Mary, Queen of Angels 2021 . 2024-05-01 . McSweeney's . en-US.
  7. Web site: Mary, Queen of Angels 2021 . 2024-05-01 . Dappled Things . en-US.
  8. Web site: Lolwe . Troy . 2020-05-18 . The Ache of Longing - Chukwuebuka Ibeh . 2024-05-01 . Lolwe . en-US.
  9. Web site: Zimmerman . Jess . 2019-07-11 . Meet the Most Promising New Voices of Nigerian Fiction . 2024-03-21 . Electric Literature . en-US.
  10. Web site: Viking scoops 'miraculous' début by Ibeh in exclusive submission . 2024-03-21 . . En. 31 October 2022. Sian. Bayley.
  11. Web site: The Debut Novel Zadie Smith Wants Everyone to Read: Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh . 2024-03-21 . brittlepaper.com. Kuhelika. Ghosh. 25 September 2023.
  12. News: Barone . Joshua . 2024-06-04 . A Queer Coming-of-Age Tale, Set in a Brutal Anti-Gay World . 2024-06-08 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  13. News: Waters . Katherine . 2024-02-07 . A smart literary attack on Nigeria's anti-gay laws . 2024-03-21 . The Telegraph . en-GB . 0307-1235.
  14. Web site: 2024-03-14 . BLESSINGS: a profound exploration of identity and acceptance . 2024-03-21 . Buzz Magazine . en-GB.
  15. https://penguinrandomhouselibrary.com/book/?isbn=9780593865477 "Blessings"
  16. Web site: Magic and terror – Same-sex love in a hostile Nigeria. Estelle. Shirbon. TLS. March 1, 2024.
  17. Web site: Digital . Make . 2024-04-30 . 2024 Longlist . 2024-05-01 . Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation . en.
  18. Web site: 2024-05-01 . The Biggest Books Landing on Your Reading List in 2024. Henry . Wong . 2024-06-08 . Esquire . en-GB.
  19. Web site: Mangino . Samantha . These are some of the best books by Black authors to read in 2024 . 23 February 2024. 2024-06-08 . Reviewed . en.

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