Proudly Nigerian

Perdita Lee may appear your average British schoolgirl; Harriet Lee may seem just a working mother trying to penetrate the school social hierarchy; but there are signs that they might not be as normal as they think they are. For one thing, they share a gold-painted, seventh-floor walk-up apartment with some surprisingly verbal vegetation. And then there’s the gingerbread they make. Londoners may find themselves able to take or leave it, but it’s very popular in Druhástrana, the far away (or, according to many sources, non-existent) land of Harriet Lee’s early youth. The world’s truest lover of the Lee family gingerbread, however, is Harriet’s charismatic childhood friend Gretela–a figure who seems to have had a hand in everything (good or bad) that has happened to Harriet since they met.

Decades later, when teenage Perdita’s search for her mother’s long-lost friend prompts a new telling of Harriet’s story. As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, wealth, and real estate, gingerbread seems to be the one thing that reliably holds a constant value. Endlessly surprising and satisfying, written with Helen Oyeyemi’s inimitable style and imagination, Gingerbread is a true feast for the reader.

Fearless and authentically refreshing in its narratives, “There’s A Heaven for Bad Girls” journeys into the hearts and minds of young Nigerian women and girls who have often been silenced, overlooked, and made to conform to societal norms. The five captivating short stories are powerful gems that read, at intervals, like secret diaries of their compelling protagonists. Through her fluid storytelling, Adenrele Niyi, a Nigeria Media Merit Award, (NMMA), Entertainment Writer of the Year finalist, skillfully takes us on a ‘short ride in a fast car’.

From the nuanced interplay between individuals and systems, religion and culture, love and desire, to the hopelessness of aborted dreams, the stories offer a youthful perspective on contemporary social issues. There’s A Heaven for Bad Girls delves into identity struggles in a trado-modern society that demands conformity, unveils the raw resilience of teenagers facing daunting odds, and explores the transformative power of love, all while championing the spirit of entrepreneurship and the urgent need for social change.