As a self-professed bibliophile who simply loves to read, there’s nothing I love as much as a good short story. Short stories are honestly the best form of books in my opinion. They throw you into the story without wasting time on introductions, hit you hard, and then leave you hanging with that bittersweet feeling of wait, that’s it? When you realize there’s nothing more.
That is the joy of a short story. Which makes it perfect for getting you out of a reading slump. If the idea of reading a full-length novel seems like too much work for you, or you can’t find anything that feels perfect enough to start on, short stories are the perfect solution.
If you can’t figure out what to read, these short story collections are what you need. Each of these books is written by a Nigerian author (who we know are the best in the game), revolves around a central theme, and pulls you in so quickly that you forget you’re in a slump.
So, if you’re in a reading slump you desperately want to get out of, these are the perfect short story collections to check out. Trust me, I’ve been there.
8 Nigerian Short Story Collections You Need To Add To Your TBR (to be read) List
1. Nearly All The men in Lagos are Mad by Damilare Kuku
This list would not be complete without the OG Nearly all the men in Lagos are mad. This book was a trailblazer for contemporary Nigerian fiction. Honestly, I may be biased, seeing as it was the first short story collection I can remember reading, and I was so blown away by it that I decided to try others. This is a collection of 12 stories, each of them dedicated to, as the title says, the mad men in Lagos. It’s a hilarious exploration of what it means to be in love or dating in Lagos and go the craziest ways, from gay husbands to cheating pastors, mummy’s boys, and a woman threatening to castrate her husband. Honestly, the laughs you’ll get from this collection are top-tier. It’s a must-read if you’re stuck in a reading slump. And if you’ve already read it, give it another read.
2. A Broken People’s Playlist By Chimeka Garricks
A Broken People’s playlist is a collection of 12 stories that each follow a broken person trying to fill themselves and heal from what broke them. The stories are each connected to this, as well as to music and the city of Port Harcourt. If you’re an avid Nigerian reader, you know just how magical it can be to read fiction set in real-life places you can actually picture. A broken people’s playlist touches on several themes, from homophobia to addiction, and of course, heartbreak, and it does these themes in such a beautiful way that when you’re done, you can’t help but want to read more. This collection will make you feel things, and by the time you’re done, you’ll be searching for what to read next.
3 A Kind of Madness by Uche Okonkwo
As I mentioned above, each collection revolves around a central theme, and in this case, as the title suggests, it revolves around “madness.” But it’s not the madness you’re thinking of, it’s more universal. It’s the madness that exists in complex family relationships. The madness of mental illnesses, and how certain emotions can drive you to do the craziest of things. Each of the ten stories in this collection offer a diverse view of what madness can mean and how our loved ones can drive us to it, from a boy attached to his family chicken, to a woman who loses a suitor because of her family madness,and a girl jealous of her friend who has sickle cell anaemia, it asks you, what does it really mean to be mad? And why are the ones closest to us who drive us to it?
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Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda
One of its kind, Ghostroots is a collection of horror/fantasy/paranormal short stories, each of them designed to unsettle you. The collection revolves around the unsettling setting of Lagos, with each story focusing on a horror phenomenon. There’s a story about a street where all the youngest sons are dying, one about a night market where spirits do the buying and selling, and a house that has a life of its own and memories. The collection explores everything from generational trauma to child death and body horror, and is the perfect thing to literally scare you out of a reading slump. You will definitely be looking for your next read after this one.
5. Lagos Noir, Edited By Chris Abani
The first African entry in the global anthology series, Akashic Noir, Lagos Noir, just like the others, is a collection that explores crime in the heart of Africa’s most populated city, Lagos. After all, what city is better for a crime noir than Lagos? Only real Lagosians understand. The collection feature works from established Nigerian writers like Leye Adenle, Igoni A. Barrett, Jude Dibia among others. Each of the stories is set in a different part and time in Lagos, and you can almost feel as though you’re in it, from a woman driven mad when she’s sexually assaulted in Berger, to a psychopath leaving bodies in her wake in Onikan, to a police officer who tries to do the right thing only to be betrayed by his family in Lagos island. Lagos Noir is a unique twist on the crime genre, one guaranteed to kick you out of your reading slump.
6. Happiness Like Water by Chinelo Okparanta
One of the more moving books in this list, don’t be fooled by the title into thinking it’s a book about happiness. It’s not, in fact, it’s rather the opposite. The collection is all about Nigerian women, the struggles they face both in Nigeria and abroad, and how happiness, like water, is difficult for them to hold in their hands. From a queer woman separated from her lover in America, to a student forced into sex work in order to save her mother from dying, to a woman poisoning expectant mothers so she can keep their children for herself, the collection shows us just how far these women go to secure happiness fior themselves un a world that seems to withdraw it, an how quickly this happiness fades.
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The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda’s only short story collection, The Thing Around Your Neck is a collection of 12 stories, all of which explore the complexities of the Nigerian American immigrant experience. The collection explores what it means to be Nigerian both in Nigeria and away, doing so in each story through different perspectives. From a wife whose husband has a secret life back in Nigeria, to a woman queuing for an American visa after her husband and child have been killed, to a Christian student stuck hiding with a muslim woman during a religious riot. The collection as a whole is diverse, with each story telling the experiences of different women living in different situations. If you’re stuck in a reading slump, who better to draw you out than Chimamanda?
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God’s Children are Little Broken Things by Arinze Ifeakandu
A collection of nine stories, Gods Children Are Little Broken Things is a collection dedicated to Nigerian queer men. Each story is different, showing the experience of being a gay Nigerian man and the internal as well as external struggles they face. From a married man sleeping with a rich man for money, to a lover cast aside when his singing boyfriend makes it big, to a daughter who comes to accept her father and his lover after his death, the stories are all heartbreaking in their own ways. Each of them shows you how much of a struggle it is being queer in Nigeria and how love can survive even in the harshest of climates, and in the midst of difficulty. Once you pick this up, consider your reading slump effectively done
There you have it.
Consider your reading slump officially over with this guide. If you’re a fan of Nigerian fiction, these are the best short stories to curl up with. Happy Reading!
