Before the Mango Ripens - by Afabwaje Kurian

Book Synopsis

Finalist for the 2025 Aspen Words Literary Prize

Set against the backdrop of 1970s Nigeria teetering between post-colonial dependency and self-rule, Before the Mango Ripens examines the enduring themes of faith, disillusionment, and the search for belonging. Both epic and intimate, Afabwaje Kurian's debut announces a brilliant new talent for readers of Imbolo Mbue and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

In Rabata, everyone has secrets--especially since the arrival of the white American missionaries.

Twenty-year-old Jummai is a beautiful and unassuming house girl whose dreams of escaping her home life are disrupted when an unexpected pregnancy forces her to hide her lover's identity. Tebeya, an ambitious Dublin-educated doctor, has left prestigious opportunities abroad to return to the small town of her birth, and discovers a painful betrayal when she strives to take control of the mission clinic. Zanya is a young translator, enticed by promises of progress, who comes to Rabata to escape a bitter past and finds himself embroiled in a fight against the American reverend for the heart of the church and town.

United by their yearning for change, all three must make difficult decisions that threaten the fragile relationships of the Rabata they know. As tensions mount and hypocrisies are unveiled, the people of Rabata are faced with a question that will transform their town forever: Let the Americans stay, or make them go?

Review Quotes

"Before the Mango Ripens is a historical novel that avoids predictable oppositions. Its characters' relationships and internal qualities are complex, its locals speak in indigenous Gbagyi, and its focus is realistic throughout. It depicts an array of individual viewpoints, desires, and motivations, spotlighting the challenges of political self-determination and personal fulfillment with skill."
--Foreword Reviews

"Before the Mango Ripens is an ultimately hopeful story about people pushing back against colonialism. It points to the ways in which oppressive systems are harmful to everyone, and might leave readers interrogating their own roles in these systems."--BookBrowse
"Afabwaje Kurian's Before The Mango Ripens is a novel of riveting depth and scope. Lit--as in the conflagration that sets things off and never lets you go, and, yes, as in contemporary parlance meaning excellent--this book is a masterful achievement of craft and soul. This is what you call a tour de force!"

--DK Nnuro, author of WHAT NAPOLEON COULD NOT DO

"One of those rare novels that seems to capture the whole world between its covers. Afabwaje Kurian choreographs and cross-cuts among so many elements of language and beliefs, cultures and histories, and she does so on so many scales--from the individual to the familial, the communal to the national, and to the marvelously cosmic as well--and she does all that with such clear-eyed artfulness, elegance, and seriousness, that no summary or paraphrase can approach an adequate description of its riches. Just turn to page one and start reading."
--Paul Harding, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of TINKERS

"A beautifully rendered debut novel by a novelist who writes well beyond her years. Afabwaje Kurian's lyrical prose, original characters and uncompromising storytelling will keep you hooked from start to finish."
--Regina Porter, author of THE TRAVELERS

"What an absolute joy to read: vibrant, immersive, and lyrical...In this tale of the intricacies of faith and identity, Afabwaje Kurian is a keen and elegant observer."
--Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD and SAME AS IT EVER WAS