Ghostroots: Stories by ’Pemi Aguda

Black Arts & Culture Feature:

Date Read: May 24th 2026

Published: May 2024

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Pages: 224

The Blurb

A debut collection of stories set in a hauntingly reimagined Lagos where characters vie for freedom from ancestral ties

In this beguiling collection of twelve imaginative stories set in Lagos, Nigeria, ’Pemi Aguda dramatizes the tension between our yearning to be individuals and the ways we are haunted by what came before.

In “Manifest,” a woman sees the ghost of her abusive mother in her daughter’s face. Shortly after, the daughter is overtaken by wicked and destructive impulses. In “Breastmilk,” a wife forgives her husband for his infidelity. Months later, when she is unable to produce milk for her newborn, she blames herself for failing to uphold her mother’s feminist values and doubts her fitness for motherhood. In “Things Boys Do,” a trio of fathers finds something unnatural and unnerving about their infant sons. As their lives rapidly fall to pieces, they begin to fear that their sons are the cause of their troubles. And in “24, Alhaji Williams Street,” a teenage boy lives in the shadow of a mysterious disease that’s killing the boys on his street.

These and other stories in Ghostroots map emotional and physical worlds that lay bare the forces of family, myth, tradition, gender, and modernity in Nigerian society. Powered by a deep empathy and glinting with humor, they announce a major new literary talent.

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Review – ★★★★★ (5 stars)

Ghostroots is a phenomenal collection of 12 stories. It kind of reminded me of Lesley Nneka Arimah’s collection from 2017 – What It Means When A Man Falls From The Sky. What I love about this collection is how all stories are set in Nigeria – no diaspora, immigrant life clichés here. I also love how there are no explanatory commas in the writing. Yoruba isn’t translated. If you don’t know what ponmo or ogogoro is – Google it. This collection is unapologetically Nigerian (well, from my point of view/lens).

I generally liked all of the stories, but my favorite stories were (8 of them):

~ Manifest – this was weird, wild and tragic. This story needs to be an episode on Black Mirror!

~ Breastmilk – while I didn’t love the main character’s relationship decision, I loved this meditation on motherhood & feminism. The main character’s mother is my favorite character in this story.

~ The Hollow – loooved this story. Did ’Pemi Aguda study architecture in school? The writing… there is A LOT going on in this story. I loved the architectural juxtapositions and the plot twists. Chef’s kiss!

~ 24 Alhaji Williams Street – wheeeeeeeew, this story had me crying! Anticipating the impending doom had me completely distraught.

~ Things Boys Do – this story more or less showed how karma works. Fuck those men; they deserved all of their misery.

~ The Wonders of the World – i loved that this story showed how lonely a child could feel, even in a seemingly healthy two-parent household. ’Pemi Aguda also did a good job writing on mental illness, Nigerian high school shenanigans and religion/religious psychosis(?).

~ The Dusk Market – man, this story really portrayed the hustle and struggles of Lagos, Nigeria. Salewa, sweet queen, I hope she finds her rest – somehow. I liked the dusk market descriptions. They gave me a sense of calm.

~ Masquerade Season – Pauly was adorable. His mother was manipulative.I liked the creative, imaginative writing of the story, while recognizing their deeper meanings.
Ghostroots is probably the best short story collection I’ve read this year. I truly loved how ’Pemi Aguda balanced the mystical and the mundane in all the stories. I’m currently reading her debut novel that was published in May of this year (2026) – One Leg On Earth, and I’m enjoying that too!

★★★★★ (5 stars) – Amazing book, I loved it. Absolutely recommend!

Purchase Ghostroots on Amazon

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