THE BREVITY OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS BY NNAMDI EHIRIM

Across ten interconnected stories, six former schoolmates navigate adulthood, haunted by the ghosts of their shared past. Set against the backdrop of contemporary Lagos and boarding school life in Ogun state, The Brevity of Beautiful Things weaves through time, revealing the unexpected consequences of childhood trauma.

Kamara wrestles with the shadow of his demanding father. Julius is lumbered with an imaginable burden after his father’s stroke, Iman escapes her family’s suffocating religious ties. Ufedo treads a precarious path in her pursuit of pleasure. Murtala harbours a secret he’s neverfully shared about his sex life. Faramade lives a life that he knows should be better.

As their paths cross again in adulthood, each character grapples with the fleeting nature of happiness, the weight of unrequited love, and the strain of loyalty. The Brevity of Beautiful Things is a poignant exploration of memory, perspective, and the fragile threads that connect us to our past and each other.