WHERE WE END & BEGIN

A wedding in Nigeria reunites high school sweethearts, giving them a second chance at love.

Twelve years ago, Dunni left Nigeria to attend college in America. Even though her mother viciously disapproved of her relationship with her boyfriend, Obinna, Dunni had plans for the future with him, and he was meant to join her as soon as possible. Instead, he completely ghosted her. Now, Dunni lives in Seattle, where she works as a geneticist and is engaged to a man she knows she doesn’t love but who has her mother’s approval. She hesitantly travels back home to Lagos for a friend’s wedding, where it turns out Obinna is also a guest. Their chemistry hasn’t waned at all, but if there’s to be a future for them now, they first have to confront the past. Igharo’s lush storytelling takes readers on an emotional roller coaster. Told through alternating timelines that focus on Dunni in the present and Obinna in the past, this beautifully crafted, heart-achingly romantic tale plays with juxtapositions—poor and rich; superstition, religion, and science—and the ways they twine together. Family ties are essential to the characterization of the leads, and these relationships are insightfully and thoughtfully explored. The realistically flawed characters make mistakes, and there are consequences but also forgiveness. The story doesn’t shy away from heavy situations and hurtful relationships, but at its core it’s about how incredible support and love can be.

A passionate and empathetic story of how relationships define a person and a love that was meant to be.