First published 2013
Abike Johnson has everything money can buy in Lagos. The seventeen-year-old lives in her father's mansion, travels in armored vehicles, and never worries about her next meal. She is her wealthy father's favorite child, sheltered from the harsh realities beyond her gates. One afternoon, she buys ice cream from an eighteen-year-old street vendor who has lost everything. His father died, leaving the family with nothing. Now he sells treats roadside to keep his mother and sister alive in the city's slums. The ice cream purchase sparks an unexpected connection between two teenagers from opposite worlds. As Abike and the young hawker begin a tentative romance, their different backgrounds create impossible choices. Secrets from their families' pasts emerge to challenge their growing bond. Both must confront the question of loyalty when love crosses the lines that divide Lagos society.
Genres: romance, african-literature, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Lagos, Nigeria
Period: 21st-century
304 pages · Paperback · Faber and Faber