Lákíríboto

A twisty thriller about the fate of a sprawling family in Lagos, Lákíríboto is a queer, feminist revenge thriller like no other, in which murder, betrayal, and witchcraft collide – with explosive results. Me I be Rita, I’m unforgiving, vengeful, and as petty as fuck. When her grandmother dies in the night, Moremi’s fate falls to her uncle, the grasping family chief who sends her off to work as a housemaid in Lagos. On arriving there, Moremi finds that the big city is not all she thought it would be. But she’s not alone. After another family death, Kudirat, accused of bringing misfortune to her close family, has also been sent to live as a maid in the same house, scrubbing floors and folding laundry for long-suffering Tola, whose abusive doctor husband refuses to treat. Together, with the help of her queer aunt Morieba, the four women must wrestle back control of their lives as the patriarchal traditions that govern the family push back against their freedoms. When Tola’s condition worsens, someone new emerges, someone with revenge and redemption in mind. Mixing family saga, mobster pulp, and queer coming-of age, Lákíríboto is a staggeringly original and surprising novel about Nigeria’s queer and feminist communities, the struggles they face, and the lengths they will go to to overcome them. “Olofintuade’s language is seductive… [They] tell [their] story with vigour, with zeal and a presence of mind that leaves out no vital details.” – The Lagos Review “An important book… brings Ibadan alive.” – The Nation “Lákíríboto revels in mischief, delighting in queer philosophy… There is also love for Nigerian culture that makes Lákíríboto sizzle with energy. I have never read a book so filled with death that brims with this much life.” – Billie Walker, Big Issue