Kirjahaku

** AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT NOVELIST AND BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR 2023 **** SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO BOOK AWARDS 2023: DEBUT FICTION **‘A voice unlike any other’ OBSERVER‘I fell in love immediately’ MAX PORTER‘A writer of imagination and flair’ ECONOMIST‘Smart, subversive, funny, heartbreaking’ KAMILA SHAMSIE‘Buoro's writing deserves to inspire a generation of superheroes’ THE TIMESFifteen-year-old Andrew Aziza lives in Kontagora, Nigeria, where his days are spent about town with hisfriends, grappling with his fantasies about white girls (especially blondes) and wondering who his father is. When he’s not in church, at school or attempting to form ‘Africa’s first superheroes’, he obsesses over mathematical theorems, ideas of Black power and HXVX: the Curse of Africa.Sure enough, Andy soon falls for the first white girl he lays eyes on. But multiple crises are looming, set toshake the foundations of everything he knows and loves...'This is extraordinary, driven by a gloriously eccentric central character. It is utterly compelling, not shy about posing difficult questions for the reader' 2023 NERO PRIZE JUDGES

** AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT NOVELIST FOR 2023 ** 'A voice unlike any other' OBSERVER 'I fell in love immediately' MAX PORTER 'A writer of imagination and flair' ECONOMIST 'Smart, subversive, funny, heartbreaking' KAMILA SHAMSIE 'Buoro's writing deserves to inspire a generation of superheroes' THE TIMES Fifteen-year-old Andrew Aziza lives in Kontagora, Nigeria, where his days are spent about town with his droogs, Slim and Morocca, grappling with his fantasies about white girls – especially blondes – and wondering who his father is. When he's not in church, at school or attempting to form 'Africa's first superheroes', he obsesses over mathematical theorems, ideas of black power and HXVX: the Curse of Africa. Sure enough, the reluctantly nicknamed 'Andy Africa' soon falls hopelessly and inappropriately in love with the first white girl he lays eyes on, Eileen. But at the church party held to celebrate her arrival, multiple crises loom. An unfamiliar man claims, despite his mother's denials, to be Andy's father, and the gathering of an anti-Christian mob is headed for the church – both set to shake the foundations of everything Andy knows and loves. The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa announces a dazzling, distinctive, new literary voice. Profound, exhilarating and highly original, this tragicomic novel is a stunning exploration of the contemporary African 'condition', the relentless infiltration of Western culture and, most of all, the ordinary but impossible challenges of coming of age in a turbulent world.

The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes FinalistShortlisted for the 2024 Betty Trask PrizeLonglisted for the 2024 Aspen Words Literary PrizeNamed a Best of the Year Book by NPRCrackling with energy and intelligence, this debut is the "smart, subversive, funny, heartbreaking" (Kamila Shamsie) story of an exceptional teenager coming of age in the shadow of colonialism and communal violence in Nigeria. Andrew Aziza is an unusually smart fifteen-year-old in Kontagora, Nigeria. He lives with his fiercely protective mother, Gloria, and fantasizes obsessively about white girls-especially blondes. When he's not in church, at school, or hanging about town with his droogs wishing to become one of "Africa's first superheroes," he's contemplating the larger questions with his teacher Zahrah and his equally brilliant friend Fatima, a Hausa-Fulani girl who has feelings for him. Together they discuss mathematical theorems, Black power, and what Andy has deemed the Curse of Africa. Sure enough, the reluctantly nicknamed Andy Africa soon falls hopelessly and inappropriately in love with the first white girl he lays eyes on: Eileen. But at the church party held to celebrate her arrival, multiple crises loom. An unfamiliar man there claims, despite his mother's denials, to be Andy's father, and an anti-Christian mob has gathered, headed for the church. In the ensuing havoc and its aftermath, Andy is forced to reckon with his identity and desires and determine how to live on the so-called Cursed Continent. The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa announces a dazzlingly unique literary voice. Crackling with energy, this tragicomic novel provides a stunning lens into contemporary African life, the complicity of the West, and the impossible challenges of growing up in a turbulent world.

The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes FinalistShortlisted for the 2024 Betty Trask PrizeLonglisted for the 2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize "This novel shimmers." -NPR "Best Books of the Year""Funny, vulgar, and wrenching."-New York Magazine Fifteen-year-old Andrew Aziza lives in Kontagora, Nigeria, where his days are spent about town with his friends, fantasizing about white girls. When he's not in church, at school, or attempting to form "Africa's first superheroes," he obsesses over mathematical theorems, ideas of Black power, and HXVX: the Curse of Africa. Sure enough, Andy soon falls for the first blonde he sees. But multiple crises are looming, set to shake the foundations of everything he knows and loves . . . Crackling with energy and intelligence, this tragicomic novel of contemporary African life announces an astounding new talent. "A writer of imagination and flair . . . Andy Africa is an unforgettable character." -The Economist"A voice unlike any other." -Observer "I fell in love immediately." -Max Porter