Blessings

_Blessings_ is the debut novel of Chukwuebuka Ibeh, who has lived most of his life in Nigeria and is currently studying in the USA. This coming-of-age story of a gay man in Nigeria, where homosexuality was made illegal by a law passed during the story, tells about a young man who falls in love with an apprentice boy and whose family are so ashamed that they send him off to a strict, religious and violent boarding school. It shows the pain of being excluded from society simply because of who you are and how that leads to shame and even to joining in with terrible behaviour in an effort to conform with the norms of the dominant group. The development of the relationship between the mother and her son is he grows into adulthood is also examined as the book switches between their points of view. The book is written in a straightforward style, but nevertheless it is deeply moving story.