This Kind of Trouble - by Tochi Eze (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Benjamin Fletcher was good at surviving. He'd survived cancer at forty-seven, a motor bike accident at fifty-nine, a heart attack at sixty-one. Now, at sixty-seven, it seemed like the only demand life threw at him was to survive the consequences of the past. When Benjamin lands in 1960s Nigeria, hoping to explore his roots after the death of his half-Nigerian father, he falls in love with Margaret. As the two learn more about their respective histories, they realize their lineage is interwoven in the deepest of ways-their ancestors had met decades earlier, with tragic results. Unfolding over three distinct timelines spanning a century, This Kind of Trouble reveals the unsettling events that took place in a small Nigerian village in 1905-the same events that will eventually tear Margaret and Benjamin apart 60 years later. When we meet them again in 2005, they have been estranged for decades, content to leave the heartbreaks of the past behind them. But when their grandson begins to show signs of what Margaret believes is the mental instability that has troubled her family for generations as a kind of curse, she decides the family must come together and confront the generational traumas that have shaped her and Benjamin both, and to reckon with transgressions both intimate and ancestral. Beautifully written, transporting, narratively ambitious, and featuring an unusual forbidden love story, This Kind of Trouble asks us to consider the ways we are all beholden to the past, and what we owe the future. With this debut novel, Tochi Eze announces herself as a major new literary voice in world literature"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A riveting tale of forbidden love centered on an estranged couple brought together to reckon with the mysterious events that splintered their family.

In 1960s Lagos, a city enlivened with its newfound independence, headstrong Margaret meets British-born Benjamin, a man seeking his roots after the death of his half-Nigerian father. Despite Margaret's reluctance, their connection is immediate. They fall in love in the dense, humid city, examining what appears to be their racial and cultural differences. However, as they exchange childhood stories during lazy work lunches, they uncover a past more entangled than they could have ever imagined. Margaret's deteriorating mental health combined with the shadow of events that transpired decades ago in a small village sets their gradual fracture in motion.

By 2005, Margaret has retired to an upscale gated community in Lagos, and seemingly happy Benjamin lives alone in Atlanta, managing his heart problems with no options when asked to name his next of kin. But their attempt at a settled life is shattered when their grandson begins to show ominous signs echoing the struggles Margaret once faced. The former lovers are forced to reunite to confront the buried secrets they had dismissed in the passion of their youth--secrets that continue to ripple through their family.

A startling and propulsive tale of forbidden love, This Kind of Trouble traces the intertwined legacies of one family's history, exploring the complex relationship between tradition, modernity, and the ways we seek healing in a changing world. With this debut novel, Tochi Eze announces herself as a dazzling new voice in world literature.

Review Quotes

"There is a mythic quality to Tochi Eze's writing, an expansiveness of vision. THIS KIND OF TROUBLE gripped my heart and my imagination with its intricate tapestry of humanity."
--Tsering Yangzom Lama, author of We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies

"An immersive and bewitching tale of family, fortune, love, and all that is sacrificed in pursuit of it. With masterful craft, Eze guides the reader through alternating years and perspectives to illuminating cumulative effect. THIS KIND OF TROUBLE is gorgeous, a promising debut signifying the emergence of an important new talent."
--Dantiel W. Moniz, author of Milk Blood Heat

"In THIS KIND OF TROUBLE, Tochi Eze has crafted a taut narrative of dislocation and estrangement that is also a moving story of love and generational change. A wrenching, propulsive, and unforgettable debut."
--Bruce Holsinger, author of The Displacements

"THIS KIND OF TROUBLE is an incandescent and moving portrait of star-crossed lovers caught between the weight of tradition and secrets carried across generations. In turns tender and unflinchingly honest, Tochi Eze explores a world where duty and desire are often at odds. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this intimate, emotionally resonant, and profoundly human story."
--francesca ekwuyasi, author of Butter Honey Pig Bread

About the Author

Tochi Eze is a writer and lawyer from Nigeria., Longreads named her short story "The Americanization of Kambili," published by Catapult, as one of "Ten Outstanding Stories to Read in 2023." She has an MFA from Florida Atlantic University and is currently a PhD student in English Literature at the University of Virginia.