Separated by the wildly different paths their lives have taken over thirty years, Enitan, Funmi and Zainab, best friends from university, reunite in Lagos as Funmi's daughter Destiny prepares to get married, old tensions, new secrets and complicated mother-daughter relationships soon taking centre stage before the ceremony. A heartfelt debut novel, Dele Weds Destiny is a story of reconciling one's past, present and future, a hard task made easier by family and 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
'A story rendered with so much heart' Taylor Jenkins Reid
'Obaro writes beautifully about the complicated labour 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
'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 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 honouring 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
'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