And Then He Sang a Lullaby

By: Ani Kayode

Narrated by: Michael Obiora

The inaugural title from Roxane Gay Books, And Then He Sang a Lullaby is a searingly honest and resonant debut from a 23-year-old Nigerian writer and queer liberation activist, exploring what love and freedom cost in a society steeped in homophobia.

August is a God-fearing track star who leaves Enugu City to attend university and escape his overbearing sisters. He carries the weight of their lofty expectations, the shame of facing himself, and the haunting memory of a mother he never knew. It’s his first semester and pressures aside, August is making friends, doing well in his classes. He even almost has a girlfriend. There’s only one problem: he can’t stop thinking about Segun, an openly gay student who works at a local cybercafé. Segun carries his own burdens and has been wounded in too many ways. When he meets August, their connection is undeniable, but Segun is reluctant to open himself up to August. He wants to love and be loved by a man who is comfortable in his own skin, who will see and hold and love Segun, exactly as he is.

Despite their differences, August and Segun forge a tender intimacy that defies the violence around them. But there is only so long Segun can stand being loved behind closed doors, while August lives a life beyond the world they’ve created together. And when a new, sweeping anti-gay law is passed, August and Segun must find a way for their love to survive in a Nigeria that was always determined to eradicate them. A tale of rare bravery and profound beauty, And Then He Sang a Lullaby is an extraordinary debut that marks Ani as a voice to watch.

©2023 Ani Kayode (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“I’m in awe of the way Ani Kayode Somtochukwu writes into the knot of love, bringing forth the steely tenderness of queer desire amidst great peril. This isn’t just a beautiful story, it’s deeply needed and liberating.”—Saeed Jones, author of Alive at the End of the World

Brilliant and Brutal and Beautiful.

When you know you are reading a treasure:
1. You adore the characters and feel the loss of leaving them.
2. You are sure your heart won't withstand the end.
3. You are not the same person you were when you started.
4. One book makes you a lifetime reader of future works.

Wonderful narration to a stunning book

Sitting here still sobbing after finishing the book, I know it will stay with me.
The storytelling is so engaging, the political and societal commentary so well woven into it.
It also feels very honest, both in the characterisations of the protagonists and those around them, and in the interactions between them.
And while it's undeniably a book that makes one go through sorrow and indignation, the ending is as uplifting as it could be in the reality of our protagonists - with a call to action of sorts, with that being the only way to change that reality.

Amazing

This is such a beautiful book and beautifully read by the narrator. Will listen again!

breathtakingly beautiful

this is the most beautiful book I have ever read in my life. Ani kayode you are a gift. your bearing witness is so important. I have never felt so seen and so hopeful and so heartbroken and so angry and so passionate for change. thank you. thank you.

Narration failed the novel

This is a story that was so important to tell, one that so often goes unheard in Nigerian culture. But the narrator was such a letdown. The gross mispronunciation of every non-English word was disrespectful to the culture, and detracted from what should have been a heartfelt, emotionally resonant experience. The publisher did this first time author a disservice here.