This Kind of Trouble

Eze’s sweeping debut traces the misfortunes of a family from their origins in Nigeria to their settlement in England and the U.S. After Benjamin Fletcher suffers his second heart attack in 2005 Atlanta, the 67-year-old reflects on having abandoned his wife, Margaret Okolo, and daughter, Nwando, in Lagos after Margaret gave birth following their 1962 wedding and developed schizophrenia. Their union was forbidden by the elders of Margaret’s village of Umumilo for reasons that they, and the reader, only learn much later, causing Margaret, who still lives in Lagos and who tried to follow Benjamin to London, to believe she’s been cursed for marrying against her clan’s wishes. Margaret’s deteriorating mental health makes her worry the curse will be passed on to her grandson Chuka, whose behavior in school has been worsening, so she invites a healer from Umumilo to perform a cleansing for the whole family, including Benjamin. The story takes affecting and surprising turns after Benjamin and Margaret reunite, as Eze sheds light on the sins of their forefathers, which contributed to their choices as well as the objections of Margaret’s family. It’s a memorable tale of a family’s complex lineage. Agent: Allison Malecha, Trellis Literary Management. (Aug.)