The Sun Sets in Singapore

In Fadipe’s striking debut, three Nigerian women living in Singapore contend with the arrival of Lani, a handsome and charming British Nigerian lawyer who threatens to unravel their seemingly perfect lives. Attorney Dara sees her dreams of making partner evaporate when Lani is brought in by the firm to lead one of her major cases. To make matters worse, her friendship with Amaka, a banker secretly struggling with a shopping addiction and mounting debt, is threatened by Amaka’s physical attraction to Lani. Also in the mix is Nigerian American Lillian, a former professional pianist, who’s painfully reminded of her parents’ deaths after meeting Lani, who bears a strong resemblance to her father. Fadipe casts a studied eye on Singapore’s small but thriving African expatriate community while weaving a cautionary fable about how all that glitters may not be gold. Although Lani for the most part remains a cipher, the female protagonists embody complexity and hidden depths of character. Fadipe’s shrewd observations on identity, classism, and racism give the novel an emotional edge (“Nobody really fits in—that’s why people try to oppress everyone else”). Fans of recent Singapore-based fiction like Kyla Zhao’s The Fraud Squad will savor the local settings and depictions of high society. Agent: Hayley Steed, Madeleine Milburn Ltd. (Oct.)