Little Rot

New Lagos, Nigeria. The books opens with the parting of a couple, Kalu and Aima, who are filled with love and grief in equal parts. Their move back to Nigeria from Texas, along with societal pressures, has put pressures on the lovers’ happiness and communication. Now, Aima is set to go to London. Ahmed, Kalu’s closest friend and confidante, sinks deeper into the luscious, sexual abyss of his elite parties. Sex workers Souraya and Ola are beckoned back home by opportunity and curiosity. All five are sucked into the dark, glittering underbelly of New Lagos’ nightlife, which is laced with money, desire and violence. The five are unable to escape each other’s influence; they are tangled in unseeable, seductive webs.

Akwaeke Emezi has crafted a testament to their own brilliance. Little Rot seeps into your pores, and wraps you in its lyricism, visceral imagery and powerful prose. The manner in which Emezi explores religion, class, sex, gender and queerness is nothing short of seamless. They do not shy from the gory reality they wish to portray – we bear witness to flawed, reckless, fascinating and hungry humans. Just as we process unabashed lust shot through with vicious force, we watch raw, unsanitised love and truth.

I truly think Emezi’s style is singular in the writing community. Their description is so potent you can almost taste it, touch its edges. Little Rot is tempting, brutal and unashamed in its beauty. It seemed to me to beat with an unstoppable pulse, a lifeblood filled with Emezi’s language. If you want a book doused in intrigue, erotic fascination and honest humanity, Little Rot is what you need.