"“I was armed with millions of smiles. Apologetic smiles, pity-me smiles, I-look-unto-God smiles—name all the fake smi…"

"I wanted to write about extended family systems. You have people you can fall back on, and it’s good. But what if you…"

"I wanted to look at the subtle ways that Nigerians interacted with the Nigerian state. One of the ways we survive dar…"

"There is a strong view in Nigeria, as in many other cultures, that a marriage is not complete without children. I don…"

"I am interested in the idea that people should be able to define their own happiness. It’s not just about fertility; …"

"“Sometimes I think we have children because we want to leave behind someone who can explain who we were to the world …"

"“So love is like a test, but in what sense? To what end? Who was carrying out the test? But I think I did believe tha…"

"“I understand how a word others use every day can become something whispered in the dark to soothe a wound that just …"

"“OK, we'll tell her you dug the grave." It's the truth - stretch, but still true. Besides, what would be left of love…"

"“Already, I was coming undone, like a hastily tied scarf coming loose, on the ground before the owner is aware of it.”"