Fatima Bala Launches “The Lies We Tell,” Her Third Book, With Sold-Out Events in Abuja and Lagos

Fatima Bala has released The Lies We Tell, her third book following the bestselling Broken: Not a Halal Love Story and Hafsatu Bebi, marking the occasion with two distinct events in quick succession. Published by Masobe Books, the new short story collection turns its attention to Muslim communities in northern Nigeria, following women and girls as they navigate loyalty, marriage, and family expectation under the constant, low-grade pressure of tradition. The stories move across motor parks, bedrooms, and hostel rooms throughout the region, tracing how Hausa women build private lives out of things left unsaid.

The first event took place in Abuja on July 25, structured as an intimate reading and conversation. By most accounts, it drew far more people than the room could comfortably hold. Writer Gimba Kakanda, reflecting on the night, said he doubted any other Nigerian writer could have pulled a comparable crowd with every seat filled, people lining the walls, no parking left outside, and the available books gone before the evening wrapped. He framed Bala’s pull as part of a longer story: Northern Nigeria’s female writers, he argued, have rarely built the kind of large, well-curated English-language readership that Abubakar Adam Ibrahim and Elnathan John have achieved, and Bala looks to be closing that gap by channeling the built-in audience for Kano’s Hausa-language market romance tradition into English fiction. Masobe Books singled out broadcaster Abdulkareem Baba Aminu’s hosting as central to how memorable the night turned out to be, thanking everyone who came out for what they described as a genuine celebration of storytelling and community.

Six days later, on July 31, Bala brought the book to Lagos for a launch at Ouida Lagos in Opebi, a different kind of event from Abuja’s reading, built more around celebration. Attendees who’d followed Bala since Broken and Hafsatu Bebi came out eager to finally meet, in person, the author behind fan-favorite characters Ibrahim Gaya and Ahmad Babangida.

Bala divides her time between Nigeria and Canada, and has built a reputation for fiction that treats the specifics of Northern Nigerian life with precision. The Lies We Tell released on July 23, 2026, just ahead of both events, and is now available through Masobe Books and retailers including Rovingheights.

Images from the Abuja launch below: