Dele Weds Destiny: A stunning novel of friendship, love and home - the most heart-warming debut of 2022

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It did end a bit abruptly in my opinion because I would have thoroughly enjoyed the commotion that would have been a result of Destiny's decision but that is just me and my thirst for drama. A wonderful novel full of richly-drawn, complicated, nuanced characters all trying to love and connect with each other. An ode to the bonds of friendship across decades, Dele Weds Destiny is a marvelous debut‘ Jami Attenberg, author of All This Could Be Yours This enchanting debut is an affectionate portrait of a three women at middle age, cannily exploring the ways the self is forged in youth. With an admirably light touch, Tomi Obaro documents how class, race, faith, and power define the lives of women in Nigeria and America, past and present' - Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind Fast-paced, glamorous, and bursting with emotion, Dele Weds Destiny is a thrilling debut. The bonds between women -- as friends, and across the generations -- are the jewels that make this story shine! -- Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage But theirs is a friendship that can endure decades of distance. And in 2015, they are reunited for the first time for the wedding of Funmi's daughter, Destiny. Here they will reflect on their pasts, the things they loved and lost - but the present brings unexpected surprises too, because their daughters, Remi and Destiny, might just be as rebellious and open-hearted as they once were.

Fast-paced, glamorous, and bursting with emotion, Dele Weds Destiny is a thrilling debut. The bonds between women— as friends, and across the generations— are the jewels that make this story shine.” —Tayari Jones Funmi was the character who came to me first. There’s something about her bluntness that I found tremendously fun to write.Mehr als zwanzig Jahre ist es her, dass sich ihre Wege trennten; dass sie unbeschwert und voller Freude auf das Leben, das ihnen nach dem Studium bevorstand, zusammensaßen und sich und ihren Abschluss an der Universität Zaria feierten. Während es Enitan nach New York verschlug, wo sie nun geschieden und alleinerziehend mit ihrer Tochter Remi wohnt, pflegt Zainab ihren nach mehreren Schlaganfällen gelähmten Mann. Funmi hingegen lebt in Hülle und Fülle, sie ist reich: Shoppen-bei-Harrods-reich, Fahrer-und-Diener-und-was-ihr-Mann-macht-ist-unklar-aber-definitiv-korrupt-wobei-sie-lieber-nicht-darüber-nachdenkt-reich. Doch auch wenn tausende Kilometer, mehrstellige Dollarbeträge und abrupte Fluchten sie trennen, das Leben es nicht immer gut mit ihnen meinte, niemals brach der Kontakt zwischen den drei Freundinnen ab. Und umso größer ist die Wiedersehensfreude, als sie nun bei der Hochzeit von Funmis Tochter Destiny in Lagos wieder vereint sind. Das Wiedersehen bringt Erinnerungen ans Licht: an ihre gemeinsame Zeit, ihr Kennenlernen, an das, was sie liebten und verloren. Aber während sie in Vergangenem schwelgen, müssen sie erkennen, dass ihre Töchter ihnen in ihrem rebellischen Wesen in nichts nachstehen. The bonds between women—as friends, and across the generations—are the jewels that make this story shine.”—Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage This book is a lesson on female friendship, relationships, motherhood, care-giving, love, obedience, growth and acceptance seen through the lens of understanding and cultural appreciation. There is, however, an attempt to have a different conversation about mother and daughter duos between Remi and her mother Enitan’s relationship. Their trip was Remi’s first to Nigeria, and the continent of Africa. Within hours of landing, Remi, a self-proclaimed liberal, starts making assessments about Nigeria’s government, culture, and widespread poverty. Remi, who is biracial, uses a very white America lens to view and interact with Africa. In fact, Remi’s “thoroughly American”-opinionated, grand sweeping statements and privilege is a source of discontent for Enitan, who deep down still sees herself as an immigrant after living in America for over twenty years. “Everything in Nigeria seemed comparatively cruel to liberal Americans who loved to act as if America was also not capable of cruelty and disregard,” Enitan muses when confronted with Remi’s eurocentrism. Enitan and her daughter’s cultural, racial, and educational divergence allows for an intellectual and elaborative conversation about the difference in experience between mothers and daughters.

Dele Weds Destiny. Three women brought together again after many years at the celebration of this wedding. Here they will reflect on their pasts, the things they loved and lost - but the present brings unexpected surprises too, because their daughters, Remi and Destiny, might just be as rebellious and open-hearted as they once were. Dele Weds Destiny is, among a great many other things, such a generous and patient consideration of life, and of lives. Tomi Obaro is such a skilled writer, with an eye towards the vivid and vivacious moments that others might dismiss as stillness. I am so thankful for the world of this book, and so excited for everyone who gets to sit in it.”— Hanif Abdurraqib, author of They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill UsA story rendered with so much heart.” —Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Unfortunately while Tomi Obaro writes convincingly abouther setting, this wasn’t enough to mitigate a rather uninspiring story line about three friends who are reunited for the first time in thirty years. But theirs is a friendship that can endure decades of distance. And in 2015, they are reunited for the first time for the wedding of Funmi's daughter, Destiny. The story of three once-inseparable college friends in Nigeria who reunite in Lagos for the first time in thirty years—a sparkling debut novel about mothers and daughters, culture and class, sex and love, and the extraordinary resilience of female friendship. The novel, which inspired an auction among 13 interested publishers, centers on Funmi, Enitan, and Zainab, three friends who met at college in Nigeria. They are reunited after 30 years for Funmi’s daughter’s wedding in Lagos. The inspiration for the novel came from observing her mother’s close relationships with her best friends from college, Obaro says: “They all ended up in radically different places, but have been able to maintain deep, meaningful friendships.”

A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism. The story focuses on three wildly different protagonists, from their religions, their morals and their histories. Every moment of joy was so beautiful and overdue, but every moment of suffering cut deeper than the last. I felt overwhelmed with certain plot themes, including the very graphic description of an abortion in the 1980's in Nigeria. The constant balancing act of seeking out true happiness against seeking out what is the best long term option was a fascinating juggling act to observe and seeing the long term results and fruits of the protagonists labours left me pondering my own life choices. Fast-paced, glamorous, and bursting with emotion, Dele Weds Destiny is a thrilling debut. The bonds between women – as friends, and across the generations – are the jewels that make this story shine!’ Tayari Jones

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I am also wary of books about mothers and daughters, and that element isn't quite as strong here. The mother/daughter elements are not explored in nearly as much depth, they're more of the plot dressing, really.