Chibundu Onuzo’s Welcome to Lagos

While the old saying goes that you should not judge a book by its cover, every so often, a book comes along and the cover just gives you goosebumps, in a nice kind of way. Such was the case when Chibundo Onuzo released the first photo of the cover art for her upcoming book: Welcome to Lagos. Gorgeously mesmerizing was the first superlative that came to mind.

Here’s the synopsis of the book:

Deep in the Niger Delta, officer Chike Ameobi deserts the army and sets out on the road to Lagos. He is soon joined by a wayward private, a naive militant, a vulnerable young woman and a runaway middle-class wife. The shared goals of this unlikely group: freedom and new life.

As they strive to find their places in the city, they become embroiled in a political scandal. Ahmed Bakare, editor of the failing Nigerian Journal, is determined to report the truth. Yet government minister Chief Sandayo will do anything to maintain his position. Trapped between the two, they are forced to make a life-changing decision.

Full of shimmering detail, Welcome to Lagos is a stunning portrayal of an extraordinary city, and of seven lives that intersect in a breathless story of courage and survival.

And here’s the author herself, singing Halleluyah!