Published By: Canongate
Pages: 256
Released On: 15/01/2026
It is Baby’s birthday, but Grace has not seen her first born in twenty-six years. Now a wife, mother to twin daughters and the owner of a successful medical clinic, Grace has carefully constructed a new life. And now, the secret she’s kept for decades is about to resurface – and it could destroy everything.
Grace was only fifteen when she got pregnant and, under pressure from her parents, gave Baby away. Unable to forgive their decision, she cut them off completely. Now, when Grace’s estranged mother walks back into her life unannounced, the fragile existence she spent years building begins to unravel.
*****
Thanks to Canongate for sending me a proof copy of this book in return for an honest review.
I’m not sure this would have been a book I’d choose off the shelf myself because it sounded quite intense, but I would have seriously missed out.
It’s not an easy book to read, subject wise. There are some difficult topics spoken about but Chika has handled them very well. They’re not over the top or exhibitionist, they’re honest and sympathetic without avoiding the difficulties they bring.
I loved Grace as a main character. She’s been through some things – not all of which is her fault – and she’s grown and made something of her personal and professional life. But she had my heart and my compassion right from the off and I really enjoyed following her story.
If you’ve ever wondered what people mean when they say something was an emotional gut punch, then read this book. It’s not trying to be overly heart-breaking, but the beauty of her writing and the subject matter is wonderfully sad.
The gender imbalance touched on in this boo – the way boys and men can seemingly get away with anything unscathed, but it’s the women who are left to deal with the consequences. It’s very black and white in this book, and whilst it may not be quite as clear-cut in reality, I think it’s more relatable than we might want to admit.
It’s also interesting from a cultural perspective. I don’t know much about Nigerian culture and it was fascinating to see the difference in how topics like teenage pregnancy and adoption can be viewed in somewhere like Nigeria compared to here in England.
Parts of it angered me too. There are moments where there is a complete lack of understanding and patience and love, that I was finding myself shaking the book, wanting to shake some sense into the characters at times.
It’s light on dialogue and heavy on narrative, which I prefer. It gives us a deeper insight into Grace herself and the circumstances she has found herself in. I felt closer to her as a character this way than I thin I would have if it had just been her talking a lot.
It isn’t a particularly long book, but given the quite serious topics I thought it would take me a while to get through, I thought it would be heavy. But I zoomed through it, it’s so well written and so addictive. I HIGHLY recommend it.
Books By Your Bedside 