In fact, in the case of this book, it becomes a handicap as well as a virtue.A theme running through most of these stories is that of women confronting the cultural imperative - apparently a dominant one in Nigeria - that marriage and childbearing are the only meaningful goals in life for a woman. But it isn't enough to make for excellent literature or a great reading experience. Yes, the stories in this collection give me a window into a culture different from my own, and that's a nice thing for a piece of fiction to do. What a remarkable new talent.”-Chika Unigwe, author of Night Dancer Read more

These powerful stories of contemporary Nigeria are told with compassion and a certain sense of humor. “Okparanta’s prose is tender, beautiful and evocative. This is an arrival.”-NoViolet Bulawayo, award-winning author of We Need New Names

I devoured these stories and immediately wanted more. “Intricate, graceful prose propels Okparanta’s profoundly moving and illuminating book. Okparanta’s narrators render their stories with such strength and intimacy, such lucidity and composure, that in each and every case the truths of their lives detonate deep inside the reader’s heart, with the power and force of revelation.'-Paul Harding, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Happiness, Like Water introduces a true talent, a young writer with a beautiful heart and a capacious imagination. Here are stories filled with language to make your eyes pause and your throat catch. Here is a portrait of Nigerians that is surprising, shocking, heartrending, loving, and across social strata, dealing in every kind of change. Here is a world marked by electricity outages, lush landscapes, folktales, buses that break down and never start up again. Here are characters faced with dangerous decisions, children slick with oil from the river, a woman in love with another despite the penalties. Here are Nigerian women at home and transplanted to the United States, building lives out of longing and hope, faith and doubt, the struggle to stay and the mandate to leave, the burden and strength of love.

“A haunting and startlingly original collection of short stories about the lives of Nigerians both at home and in America.”-Julie Otsuka, national bestselling author

Happiness like water