Leave Your Mess at Home by Tolani Akinola

About this episode

This episode explores the debut novel 'Leave Your Mess at Home' by Tolani Akinola, focusing on a Nigerian American family's experiences in Chicago.

This episode of Narrative Edge explores Leave Your Mess at Home , the debut novel from Atlanta-based author Tolani Akinola. Peter Biello and Orlando Montoya unpack the book’s layered story of a Nigerian American family in Chicago as they navigate estrangement, identity, immigration, romance, sexuality, and generational pressures. From a tense Thanksgiving reunion to questions about what families owe one another, this conversation explores why the novel resonates with readers seeking emotionally charged contemporary fiction.

People in this episode

Hosts: Peter Biello, Orlando Montoya

Guest: Tolani Akinola

Topics covered

• family dynamics
• identity
• immigration
• romance
• generational pressures
• contemporary fiction

Keywords

• Tolani Akinola
• Leave Your Mess at Home
• Nigerian American
• family
• identity
• immigration
• romance
• generational pressures
• contemporary fiction

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Leave Your Mess at Home

Places: Chicago, Atlanta, Nigerian American

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