Necessary Fiction

From the acclaimed author of Vagabonds!: an audacious and eye-opening exploration of cross-generational queer life in contemporary Nigeria.

'Necessary Fiction lives up to its title and beyond … a vivid, stirring revolution' YRSA DALEY-WARD

What makes a family? How is it defined and by whom? Is freedom for everyone?

Across Lagos, one of Africa's largest urban areas and one of the world's most dynamic cities, Osunde’s characters seek out love for themselves and their chosen partners, even as they risk ruining relationships with parents, spouses, family, and friends. As the novel unfolds, a rolling cast emerges: vibrantly active, stubbornly alive, brazenly flawed. As these characters grapple with desire, fear, time, death, and God, they form and break unexpected connections, in the process revealing how they know each other, how they have loved each other, and how they had their hearts broken in that pursuit. As they work to establish themselves in the city's lively worlds of art, music, entertainment, and creative commerce, we meet their collective and individual attempts to reckon with the necessary fiction they carry for survival.

In Necessary Fiction, Eloghosa Osunde explores the paths and dreams, hopes and fears of a dazzling cast of characters who are staking out lives for themselves in today's Nigeria.

‘I’m in awe of Osunde’s writing’ CALEB AZUMAH NELSON

© 2025 Fourth Estate (Audiobook): 9780008708641

Release date

Audiobook: 31 July 2025