Wahala

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Sex and the City' with a killer edge for fans of QUEENIE, EXPECTATION and MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER

See me, see trouble

Ronke, Simi, Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London. They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English, though they don't all choose to see it that way.

Everyday racism has never held them back, but now in their thirties, they question their future. Ronke wants a husband (he must be Nigerian); Boo enjoys (correction: endures) stay-at-home motherhood; while Simi, full of fashion career dreams, rolls her eyes as her boss refers to her 'urban vibe' yet again.

When Isobel, a lethally glamorous friend from their past arrives in town, she is determined to fix their futures for them.

Cracks in their friendship begin to appear, and it is soon obvious Isobel is not sorting but wrecking. When she is driven to a terrible act, the women are forced to reckon with a crime in their past that may just have repeated itself.

A darkly comic and bitingly subversive take on love, race and family, Wahala will have you laughing, crying and gasping in horror. Boldly political about class, colorism and cooking, here is a truly inclusive tale that will speak to anyone who has ever cherished friendship, in all its forms.

© Nikki May 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

  • Refreshing and original. Portrays a London steeped in the colours and sounds of Lagos

    SUNDAY TIMES, Best popular fiction books of 2022 so far
  • Full of food, humour and pitch-perfect observation

    STYLIST MAGAZINE, Books you cannot miss in 2022
  • All the ride or die realness of female friendship is captured perfectly in this funny, multi-layered, just-another-chapter-before-you-turn-out-the-light novel.

    RED MAGAZINE
  • This is the book on everyone’s lips…a razor-sharp book about friendship that will have you on the edge of your seat. With a cast of engaging characters, this bold tale of friendship, race and love will leave you marvelling at this fresh new voice in fiction. One of 2022’s most exciting debuts

    MY WEEKLY, Editor's Pick
  • It’s surprising, it’s fun, it’s incredibly funny and will give you characters you’ll take to your heart in all their flawed glory, keeping you hooked to the very last page

    Editor's Choice, BBC Radio 4 'Open Book'

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