Amid the smouldering tension of impending civil war, Pete Ogwu and his wife Teresa are forced to flee their home in western Nigeria, leaving behind a baby son and their housemaid. Adopted by Madam Cash, Femi grows up to be an idealistic socialist writer, convinced that he is destined for greatness. Bimbo, the result of a fetish union between Ogwu and a local madwoman, endures domestic brutality and prostitution, eventually seeking solace and redemption in a local religious group. Ogwu, by now a famous televangelist and founder of the fastest-growing Pentecostal church in Nigeria wants to help but ends up being involved. Set against a backdrop of religious fervour, the intertwined lives of these family members are inexorably drawn to a shocking conclusion. Jideofor (Patrick) Adibe studied political science in Nigeria and was the first person that successfully completed a doctorate degree in International Development Studies at Roskilde University Denmark.
He has been a research fellow at a number of institutions including the Centre for Development Research, Copenhagen, Denmark, the Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, Uppsala, Sweden and the Centre for Developing Area Studies, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. He works currently as an editor in a leading media intelligence company in London, and is also the Books Review Editor for the monthly magazine, Africa Today. His other books include The Loneliness of Exile (published in Danish translation)