Olawu - P. J. Leigh

A QUARTER FINALIST FOR THE 2023 BOOKLIFE PRIZE FOR FICTION

From the time she could hold a stitching needle, Olawu has studied medicine under the watchful eye of her father. In her village, the men are the only ones allowed to work a trade or be educated, and the women who try are punished. As the village's sole physician, her father's influence casts a long shadow, but Olawu is still taught in secret.

Trouble arrives in the form of the Dikebe tribe, led by the conquering warlord Dike and his arrogant son, Dikembe. Though the invading tribe has different views about women, their arrival in the village brings calamity with it, snatching away Olawu's hope to follow in her father's footsteps and thrusting her into a role she never wanted.

Without her father's protection, Olawu's family is left vulnerable to the strict rules of their village, including the forced marriage ritual known as the Choosing. The consequences are clear: disobeying the village elders means punishment for her and starvation for her family. But accepting an unwanted marriage means casting off everything her father taught her. And she is her father's daughter.

With few options and even less time, Olawu seeks out Dikembe in an act of desperation, hoping their family's past connection will be enough to convince him to help. But Dikembe is stubborn and Olawu is proud, a combination that leads to disaster, heartbreak, and a sequence of events that neither ever expected.