This Kind of Trouble

A riveting, emotionally-charged tale of forbidden love, centred on an estranged couple who are brought together to reckon with the events that tore their family apart decades ago.In 1960s Lagos, a city enlivened with its newfound Independence, headstrong Margaret meets British-born Benjamin, a man seeking his ancestral roots after the death of his half-Nigerian father. Their connection is immediate, but as the two begin to fall in love, they discover that their pasts are more interwoven than they imagined due to a series of devastating events that transpired in their ancestral community. The shadow of these events, combined with Margaret's deteriorating mental health eventually tear them apart.By 2005, the couple have been estranged for forty years. Margaret has retired to an upscale gated community in Lagos, and seemingly happy Benjamin lives alone in Atlanta, managing his heart problems but feeling unmoored when faced with the question of who to name as his next of kin. But their attempt at a settled life is shattered when their grandson begins to show ominous signs that echo the struggles Margaret once faced. Now, Margaret and Benjamin must finally reunite to confront the buried secrets that they had dismissed in the passion of their youth-secrets that continue to ripple through their family. Their reunion becomes a journey into the past-one that forces them to grapple with both the personal and ancestral burdens that have followed them through generations.A startling and propulsive tale of forbidden love, THIS KIND OF TROUBLE traces the intertwined legacies of one family's history, exploring the complex relationship between tradition, modernity and the ways we seek healing in a changing world. Spanning a tumultuous century, the story moves us to consider the ways we are beholden to the past and what we owe the future. With this debut novel, Tochi Eze announces herself as a dazzling new literary voice in world literature.

In THIS KIND OF TROUBLE, Tochi Eze has crafted a taut narrative of dislocation and estrangement that is also a moving story of love and generational change. A wrenching, propulsive, and unforgettable debut." -- Bruce Holsinger, author of The Gifted School and The Displacements
“THIS KIND OF TROUBLE is an incandescent and moving portrait of star-crossed lovers caught between the weight of tradition, the silent trials of mental illness, and the family secrets carried across generations. In turns tender and unflinchingly honest, Tochi Eze explores the quiet courage it takes to live in a world where duty and desire are often at odds. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this intimate, emotionally resonant, and profoundly human story.” francesca ekwuyasi, author of Butter Honey Pig Bread
“There is a mythic quality to Tochi Eze’s writing, an expansiveness of vision. THIS KIND OF TROUBLE gripped my heart and my imagination with its intricate tapestry of humanity.” Tsering Yangzom Lama, author of We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies
“An immersive and bewitching tale of family, fortune, love, and all that is sacrificed in pursuit of it. With masterful craft, Eze guides the reader through alternating years and perspectives to illuminating cumulative effect. THIS KIND OF TROUBLE is gorgeous, a promising debut signifying the emergence of an important new talent.” Dantiel W. Moniz, author of Milk Blood Heat

Tochi Eze is a writer and lawyer from Nigeria. Longreads named her short story \"The Americanization of Kambili,\" published by Catapult, as one of \"Ten Outstanding Stories to Read in 2023.\" She has an MFA from Florida Atlantic University and is currently a PhD candidate in English Literature at the University of Virginia. THIS KIND OF TROUBLE is her first novel.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.