Hello everyone,
The online book tour of Nike Campbell-Fatoki’s Bury Me Come Sunday Afternoon has come here! I’m glad you are here. Now the book is a collection of short stories which filters the lives of contemporary Nigerians through a colorful and vivid prism, where past sins come to upset settled lives, where lost lives fuel a campaign for a better future and nothing is as it seems.
She explores well-known themes but delves a little deeper, questioning our ideas about people, our impressions and prejudices. Bury Me Come Sunday Afternoon depicts the struggles of a young ambitious and hardworking Nigerian abroad with the same insightful candor as it does the tale of a brilliant but broken woman struggling with mental illness.
Nike Campbell Fatoki was born in Lvov, Ukraine. She is the second of four children born to Nigerian medical doctors in the old Soviet Union. A graduate of Economics with a minor in Political Science from Howard University, she also has a Master’s degree in International Development from American University.
Here’s an excerpt:
I knocked on the door of apartment twenty-four for the third time. The smell of iru (locust beans) filled the hallway. If I do not get this food in soon, occupants of the second floor will call Mr Theodore, the building manager, about the odd smell in the building. I shook my head and knocked louder. Footsteps approached the door. Tamuno opened it, his towel wrapped around his waist; dark hair covered his broad chest. When he looked down at me, his shaved head glistened. He looked well-groomed with a goatee.
“Bros, good evening,” I said, handing him the plastic bag of food.
“You try for me, Ade. I swear! Ever since you introduced me to this restaurant I’ve been hooked! They put something for the food?” Tamuno joked. I chuckled.
He invited me into the living room. I walked in as he grabbed his wallet on the arm of the recliner. He pulled out a wad of dollar bills and began to count them. I looked away. The living room was furnished with expensive furniture – the dark brown recliner complemented the seven-seater leather sectional and ottoman. He pressed the dollar bills into my hand and walked me to the door.
“That’s for your transportation and for tomorrow’s lunch. Please buy me the stew with cow feet and ponmo next time.” I chuckled and teased him about the weight he would start gaining. When we got to the door, I reminded him of the IT position I applied for at his workplace. “Did you have a chance to talk to the HR. manager yet? You’re one of my references, bros.”
“I haven’t had a chance. You know I just got back from this business trip, and I’m in the middle of bringing my wife over.”
“Oh yes! Congrats! When does she arrive?”
He smiled.“She’ll be here in less than a month!”
“You said she’s a minister’s daughter, right? Which one?” I asked.
“Not that it matters, but she’s the daughter of the Minister of Works and Housing.”
His phone rang somewhere in the apartment. He said he had to go. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He closed the door in my face before I could answer.
Listen to the excerpt below!
Like what you hear? You can order a copy by filling the form or get it here:
- Patabah bookstore, Shop B18, Adeniran Ogunsanya mall, Surulere
- Quintessence bookstore Plot 13, Block 44, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi.
- Unilag bookstore, University Of Lagos
- Salamander (Abuja), 5 Bujumbura St, Abuja
Have you read the book or are you curious about it and want to ask the author some questions? Here’s your chance! Leave your questions in the comments section and she’ll answer them.
Don’t forget to order your copy and join the tour tomorrow.
Welcome Nike! It’s a pleasure to have you here. I enjoyed the various themes you explored in your book. Your stories seem to tell us that all is not usually as it seems. Is there a reason why you explore this?
Hi Lola,
Thanks. That was the goal of the stories. I explored this because I’ve observed how we are always quick to jump to conclusions. Life and experience have proven that we need to be more observant.
Hello Nike, I hope you have enjoyed your tour so far? What are the challenges you had to overcome while writing BURY ME COME SUNDAY AFTERNOON and which of the stories resonates with you more?
I am. The challenge was in ensuring I stayed true to the message and theme of eac story. There was a tendency to lump one or more together when I first started the draft. I had to keep asking ,myself the question – what did I want the reader to get out of each story, what did I want to get out of each story. All the stories resonate with me.
Hello, Nike. I observed that you depicted so well, the joys Nigerians abroad derive when they get a taste of home through their meals.
While the above cuts across all races and tribes, I would like to know what your long-term goal is for writing stories like these.
Is there a particular issue you’d like to address?
What moves you to write?
I was going to ask a question similar to this too. Would you consider writing more about Nigerians’ experiences in the Diaspora? It was interesting to read about such characters in the book.
Writing short stories you mean? I thoroughly enjoyed writing them, and learnt a lot. Kudos to short story writers. It’s indeed an art. There’s a lot of discipline involved. I see myself writing more short stories in the future. A taste of home will of course be a part of it.
Bury me Come Sunday Afternoon addressed a lot of issues including domestic violence, child sexual molestation, religious fanaticism, migration and displacement. My next witting project is a historical fiction novel set in the 1800s, but I also look forward to writing short stories which will address more societal issues.
Life and experience move me to write. Unfortunate incidents move me to write where I feel the plight of others need to be brought to light.
Thank you for the insightful response, Nike. Have a wonderful time during your tour.
Thanks Teekay.