Nigerian publisher Ouida Books has acquired West African rights to Maame Blue’s second novel The Rest of You. The novel explores themes of generational trauma, what it means to be Black British, and surviving familial migrant journeys.

Ouida Books announced the news last week and shared that The Rest of You is a “a story of generational healing and what it means to be Black British, surviving between gaps of knowledge around familial migrant journeys. It is an unforgettable celebration of womanhood, friendship, and family.” We are excited to read more about these complex protagonists and their journeys of healing.

Read the full synopsis below:

On the cusp of thirty, Ghanaian Londoner Whitney Appiah was born with a special gift. The massage therapist can physically sense where her clients’ trauma lies and heal them. But Whitney has no idea that she too, is suffering. Tragic events from her youth have left a terrible, unseen mark. When a dangerous encounter with the man she’s dating triggers a wave of fragmented recollections, Whitney embarks on a journey to reclaim her memories and the truth that is buried deep in her early years growing up in Kumasi, Ghana during the 1990s.

Spanning three decades, told through the viewpoints of Whitney, sisters Gloria and Aretha, and their house help Maame Serwaa, The Rest of You explores what happens when we try to move forward through the lacuna of our past.

A strikingly original novel inspired by the Twi proverb of Sankofa: looking back in order to move forward, The Rest of You is a story of generational healing, what it means to be Black British, and surviving familial migrant journeys. Tackling darkly serious themes yet full of hope and optimism, and told with an eye towards the future, Maame Blue’s extraordinary tale is an unforgettable celebration of womanhood, friendship, and family.

Maame Blue is a Melbourne resident and award-winning author of the novel BAD LOVE. The Rest of You is her second novel, and we are thrilled to read it when it’s released in October!

Congrats to Maame Blue!