ÌṢẸ́PẸ́

ÌṢẸ́PẸ́ is a haunting and vital genre-bending novel by the celebrated poet and storyteller, Àrẹ̀mọ Yusuf Àlàbí Balógun. The novel is built on the foundation of the Yorùbá saying, “Ọmọ lèrè”—a powerful cultural truth that a child is a parent’s reward, traditionally obligated to provide care and support in old age, thereby securing blessings. Yet, in the face of rapidly shifting modern ideologies, this belief system is increasingly challenged, often reinterpreted as a form of entitlement or “black tax.”

At the centre of this gripping narrative are women caught in the crosshairs of tradition and survival:

• Ìyá Ẹ̀bùn, widowed and ageing, finds herself locked in a silent war—not with the world, but with the very bloodline she raised, questioning the cost of her reward.
• Olúbùnmi, a woman whose life is entangled in a tumultuous marriage, is forced to interrogate the blurred lines where unconditional love ends and rigid tradition begins.

ÌṢẸ́PẸ́ fearlessly navigates some of the most sensitive and hidden aspects of contemporary life, touching on themes of motherhood, widowhood, religion, black tax, taboo, paedophilia, and the quiet violences that fester within the home. It is a necessary and moving story of love, immense loss, and the devastating price of silence, told through the aching hearts of individuals searching for meaning amid the wreckage of expectation.