Little Rot

'A masterwork of the form . . . mesmerizing.' New York Times 'A once-in-a-generation voice.' Vulture 'Akwaeke Emezi parts the seas of the self.' Vanity Fair 'A dazzling literary talent.' Esquire Akwaeke Emezi's exhilarating new novel follows five people over the course of a weekend which will brutally upend all of their lives. As Kalu drops Aima at the airport, it marks the end of their four-year relationship. Shattered and broken open, he thinks that's the last he will see of his ex-girlfriend. But, reeling from the breakup, both Aima and Kalu find themselves drawn back to Lagos: to separate nights of decadence. When Kalu visits an exclusive sex party hosted by his best friend, Ahmed, he makes a decision that will plunge them all into chaos. On the other side of town, Ola and Souraya, fresh off their first-class flight from Kuala Lumpur, are getting ready for their own nights of pleasure, unaware that everything is about to go awry. Pulled into a whirlwind descent through the city's corrupt and glittering underworld, they're all looking for a way out, fueled by a desperate need to escape the threat that looms over them.