If your reading list has been sitting untouched all year, here are five Nigerian books worth making time for before December.

1. Dream Count — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Adichie’s first novel in ten years follows four women whose lives are connected by friendship, love, family, ambition, and the choices they have made. Set between Nigeria and the United States, it is a good pick if you want something contemporary and character-driven.

2. The Road to the Country — Chigozie Obioma

Set during the Nigerian Civil War, the novel follows Kunle, a young university student who sets out to find his missing brother and eventually becomes caught up in the war. It mixes history, family, mythology, and survival without treating the war as distant history. The book was also a finalist for the Nigeria Prize for Literature.

3. An Unusual Grief — Yewande Omotoso

This is for readers who prefer stories that sit with difficult emotions. The novel follows Mojisola after the sudden death of her daughter and looks at grief, family, identity, and the life she begins to discover after loss.

4. New York, My Village — Uwem Akpan

Uwem Akpan‘s novel follows a Nigerian editor who travels to New York hoping to work on his first novel, only to find himself confronting questions about race, identity, publishing, and how Africa is understood abroad. It is a sharp choice for readers interested in the complicated relationship between Africa and the West.

5. The Road Does Not End — Olubunmi Familoni

Winner of the 2024 Nigeria Prize for Literature, the novel follows Rilwan, a young boy who loses his parents and is pushed into street hawking. His life changes when he meets Saka Pepper, a man connected to the Fuji music scene. It is a relatively short read, but it tackles child labour, poverty, friendship, and survival.