THIS MOTHERLESS LAND
From the acclaimed author of Wahala,
a “vibrant” decolonial retelling of Mansfield Park, exploring identity, culture, race, and love.
Quiet Funke is happy in Nigeria. She loves her art teacher mother, her professor father, and even her annoying little brother (most of the time). But when tragedy strikes, she’s sent to England, a place she knows only from her mother’s stories. To her dismay, she finds the much-lauded estate dilapidated, the food tasteless, the weather grey. Worse still, her mother’s family are cold and distant. With one exception: her cousin Liv.
Free-spirited Liv has always wanted to break free of her joyless family. She becomes fiercely protective of her little cousin, and her warmth and kindness give Funke a place to heal. The two girls grow into adulthood the closest of friends.
But the choices their mothers made haunt Funke and Liv and when a second tragedy occurs their friendship is torn apart. Against the long shadow of their shared family history, each woman will struggle to chart a path forward, separated by country, misunderstanding, and ambition.
Moving between Somerset and Lagos over the course of two decades, This Motherless Land is a sweeping examination of identity, culture, race, and love that asks how we find belonging and whether a family’s generational wrongs can be righted.
PRAISE FOR
THIS MOTHERLESS LAND
‘A spirited exploration of culture and kinship--of how we belong, and to whom’
BONNIE GARMUS, author of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY
‘A gripping and poignant family saga that illuminates the lasting bond between two extraordinary cousins. I was completely immersed in this entrancing story’
NITA PROSE, author of THE MAID
‘Utterly captivating. Beautiful, bold and addictive, this book crackles with electricity and pulses with love. Nikki May is one of the best storytellers writing right now and this is a book that readers will be falling in love with for years to come’
DAISY BUCHANAN, author of INSATIABLE
‘A vibrant coming-of-age story’
CHARMAINE WILKERSON, author of BLACK CAKE
‘A fantastic book–entirely original, the characterisation is stunning’
LIZ NUGENT, author of STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND
Proves that love has the power to save a life again and again. Deeply emotional and wildly entertaining, this is a novel to treasure’
EMMA STONEX, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS
‘Stunning. A worthy follow-up to Wahala’
DIPO FALOYIN, author of AFRICA IS NOT A COUNTRY
‘This Motherless Land is a love story (not the romantic kind) between Liv and Funke, the cousins that life showed real pepper but they came out winning. Nikki May writes with the intent to tug at the heartstrings and she does exactly that’
DAMILARE KUKU, author of NEARLY ALL THE MEN IN LAGOS ARE MAD
‘Utter perfection from start to finish, This Motherless Land broke my heart then put it back together’
LAURA MARSHALL, author of FRIEND REQUEST
‘Fresh and fearless. Kept me furiously turning the pages late into the night.
Cements Nikki May’s position as a bold and powerful new voice’
SARAH PEARSE, author of THE SANATORIUM
'Brilliantly observant, funny, moving and addictive. I loved it'
KATE SAWYER, author of THIS FAMILY
‘Stunning. Beautiful. Instantly absorbing storytelling woven through with so much truth about family, childhood, culture and belonging’
LAUREN BRAVO, author of PRELOVED
‘Moving, funny, warm and epic; a truly beautiful exploration of family and belonging.
It’s exceptional’
LIZZIE POOK, author of MAUDE HORTON’S GLORIOUS REVENGE
‘‘A fierce and evocative retelling of Mansfield Park. Funke and Liv are cousins, united (and torn apart) by tragedy and neglect, finding their place in the world. Vivid, moving and epic’
BETH MORREY, author of SAVING MISSY