Someday, Maybe

Nwabineli debuts with a powerful tale of a London widow whose photographer husband died by suicide. After Eve finds her husband, Quentin, dead on New Year’s Eve, she struggles to find her equilibrium in the aftermath, turning to her close-knit Nigerian family’s support, her best friend Bee, and benzos and barbiturates to survive. Having been with Quentin since their college years, Eve feels lost, and her behavior—which leads to publishing an online article suggesting the perfect cocktail of pharmaceuticals to address grief—results in her getting sacked from her magazine job. Matters are made worse by Eve’s mother-in-law, Aspen, who blames Eve for the suicide of her only child, which complicates Eve’s already-overwhelming grief. Just when it looks like Eve will never recover, a series of unexpected events and people show her a way to climb out of the depths of despair. Nwabineli credibly portrays Eve’s gut-deep grief and her reckoning with the fact that she’ll never know what darkness lay within her partner’s thoughts. The author also skillfully sets up a series of surprising turns. The genuine displays of emotion and sharp narrative will keep readers turning the pages. Agent: Amy St Johnston, Aitken Alexander Assoc. (Oct.)