Dele Weds Destiny

DELE WEDS DESTINY is the heartfelt, vivid and sparkling debut novel by editor and writer Tomi Obaro, celebrating the resilience and power of long-lasting female friendship.

Enitan, Funmi and Zainab first meet during their politically turbulent university years in Lagos - a time which cements their friendship, as together they all slowly learn how to become themselves. But when Enitan heads to New York to elope with a white man, Zainab and Funmi are left behind, though with drastically different fortunes. Zainab finds herself the sole breadwinner for her disabled husband and their four sons, while Funmi, larger-than-life in her youth, lives in a palace of confined luxury as the wife of a shady, successful businessman.

Their friendship goes on to endure decades of distance and, thirty years later, they're finally reunited in Lagos for the wedding of Destiny, Funmi's daughter, in 2015. Here, after all this time, they will reflect on their pasts, the things they loved and lost - but the present brings unexpected surprises and they soon discover that their daughters might be just as rebellious and open-hearted as they once were.

A story of three women, over three decades, we witness the shared histories, betrayals and triumphs play out, and their unforgettable, enduring friendship.

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
Exploring the complexity of female friendships and mother-daughter relationships, this is a story rendered with so much heart -- Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Malibu Rising
Tomi Obaro's deftly paced novel is an ode to the enduring truth of friendship. Obaro's compelling narrative provides a beautifully flawed, full-bodied picture of the possibilities of African womanhood. It is optimistic, fresh and quickly draws you in -- Jendella Benson, author of Hope and Glory
A beautifully written tale of love in all its forms, I was instantly hooked from the first page and utterly bereft at the last page. It had me laughing one minute and crying the next. It's safe to say Tomi Obaro is my new favourite author -- Sukh Ojla, author of Sunny
Obaro writes beautifully about the complicated labor of friendship and parentage. Dele Weds Destiny explores caregiving as a kind of deferment, but also as discovery, of desire, of fury, of home -- Raven Leilani, author of Luster
This enchanting debut is an affectionate portrait of 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
A generous and patient consideration of life, and of lives . . . 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 A Little Devil in America
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
Tomi Obaro has a true gift for honoring the details that illuminate our most human tensions . . . Dele Weds Destiny is a black diamond of a debut -- Saeed Jones, author of How We Fight for Our Lives
An engrossing read with strong characters and a clear portrait of Nigeria then and now . . . Obaro's debut is a portrait of female friendship that will feel familiar to women everywhere, but it is also infused with Nigerian cultural specificity: food, clothing, religion, music, and ambient threat Kirkus Reviews
The intricacies of female friendships and the complex nature of mother/daughter relationships are at the heart of this absorbing novel from BuzzFeed culture editor Obaro, a sharp new voice on the literary scene Library Journal

Tomi Obaro lives in Brooklyn. She can be found on Twitter (@TomiObaro) and on her personal website, tomiobaro.com. Dele Weds Destiny is her debut novel.

DELE WEDS DESTINY is the heartfelt, vivid and sparkling debut novel by editor and writer Tomi Obaro, celebrating the resilience and power of long-lasting female friendship. Enitan, Funmi and Zainab first meet during their politically turbulent university years in Lagos - a time which cements their friendship, as together they all slowly learn how to become themselves. But when Enitan heads to New York to elope with a white man, Zainab and Funmi are left behind, though with drastically different fortunes. Zainab finds herself the sole breadwinner for her disabled husband and their four sons, while Funmi, larger-than-life in her youth, lives in a palace of confined luxury as the wife of a shady, successful businessman.Their friendship goes on to endure decades of distance and, thirty years later, they're finally reunited in Lagos for the wedding of Destiny, Funmi's daughter, in 2015. Here, after all this time, they will reflect on their pasts, the things they loved and lost - but the present brings unexpected surprises and they soon discover that their daughters might be just as rebellious and open-hearted as they once were. A story of three women, over three decades, we witness the shared histories, betrayals and triumphs play out, and their unforgettable, enduring friendship.

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