5 Nigerian books that went viral this month

Teju Cole's first book of essays on art, literature, and politics, with topics from Virginia Woolf and James Baldwin to President Obama and Boko Haram is turning heads.

Yewande Omotoso's profound tale about two women extraordinary friendship is praised for celebrating feminism, friendship and love.

Chris Abani's brilliant memoir has been hailed as providing a perfect and complex sense of identity through a meditation on the face.

Irenosen Okojie's debut novel brings to life the magic of Nigerian story telling.

Meet the Nigerian authors who went viral this month:

1. And After Many Days by Jowhor Ile

Set in the bustling town of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, this is a story of how a family's life is disrupted by the sudden disappearance of seventeen-year-old Paul Utu, beloved brother and son.

Chimamanda Adichie verified him: “There’s a young man called Jowhor Ile who is just finishing a novel, who I think is really spectacular. His novel, when it comes out, will be very good”

2. Known and Strange Things by Teju Cole

Teju Cole's first book of essays will span art, literature, and politics, with topics from Virginia Woolf and James Baldwin to President Obama and Boko Haram. It will also include pre-published essays that went viral, like “The White Industrial Savior Complex,” first published in The Atlantic.

3. Butterfly Fish by Irenosen Okojie

Awarded the £5,000 (2.5 million Naira) Betty Trask Awards for her debut book Butterfly Fish, Okojie debut novel is a work of elegant and captivating storytelling. In a spellbinding saga of love, deceit, guilt and atonement, this book traverses the realms of magic realism with luminous style and graceful, effortless prose.

4. Face by Chris Abani

A profound and gorgeously wrought short memoir by acclaimed Nigerian-born author and poet Chris Abani explores his personal history and complex sense of identity through a meditation on the face.

Lit Hub described Face as Abani’s exploration of his own face as a kind of mini-memoir, unpacking the histories, stories, and genealogies contained (and fetishized) inside this window to the soul.

5. The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso

Set in an overwhelmingly white suburb of Cape Town in post-apartheid South Africa, this witty and nuanced study of two old ladies coming to terms with their past and with each other is both amusing and thought-provoking. Yewande Omotoso profound tale about these two 80 something year old women is a must read.

Is your favourite on the list? If not, then please share your best Nigerian books of 2016 so far.

Complement this list with 11 fascinating books you should read before visiting Nigeria and 10 beautiful African countries you can visit in books

ALSO READ: 5 Nigerian books that went viral this month