LEAVE YOUR MESS AT HOME

A debut novel about a difficult homecoming.

When Gbemisola Longe returns to her hometown of Chicago, her family is caught by surprise. The eldest daughter of Nigerian immigrants had been living in Los Angeles, making money as an influencer, but her life came crashing down when her partner, Aiden, mistakenly sent her a video of himself having sex with someone else, then dumped her, starting a rumor that she was abusive to him: “This intangible thing called the internet has made and unmade her life, and she still can’t quite figure out the real source of the unfurling.” Sola has been an inconsistent presence in her family’s lives ever since her mother, Latifat, kicked her out of the house after discovering that Sola, still in college, was sexually active; the rest of the family believes she ran away. Sola reconnects with her siblings, Anjola, a doctor; Karen, a college junior; and Ola, a portfolio manager, each of whom is dealing with their own personal dramas, and then with her father, who invites her to Thanksgiving dinner. When Sola arrives, her mother is livid, and the dinner ends with a confrontation that turns into tragedy. While the novel starts a bit slowly, it doesn’t take long to pick up steam; Akinola is quite good at moving the plot along while still letting the reader get to know the characters, each of whom is drawn carefully and sensitively. This is a family drama that doesn’t lean too hard into sentimentality, and while certain plotlines are soap-operatic, it’s still grounded in realism. The dialogue is realistic, and at times provides the novel with welcome doses of humor, and while the dark moments are truly dark, the book never descends into melodrama. It’s a fine debut that seems a likely candidate for book clubs, both celebrity and otherwise.

First-time author Akinola handles difficult themes with grace.