The inaugural title from Roxane Gay Books And Then He Sang a Lullaby is a searingly honest
debut from a Nigerian writer and queer liberation activist exploring what love and freedom
cost in a society steeped in homophobia. August is a talented athlete who leaves Enugu City to
attend university and escape his overbearing sisters. It's his first semester and pressures
aside he's making friends and doing well. 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. 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 Kayode Somtochukwu as a voice to watch.
