When We Speak of Nothing

Best friends Karl and Abu are both 17 and growing up near King's Cross. It's 2011, and racial tensions are about to erupt across London. While Abu struggles to tell his classmate Nalini how he feels, Karl becomes the target of local thugs simply for being different.

When Karl discovers his father lives in Nigeria, he travels to Port Harcourt hoping to reconnect with the man he has never known. Rejected on arrival, he befriends Nakale, an activist exposing the ecocide in the Niger Delta, and falls for his cousin, Janoma. Back in London, the killing of Mark Duggan sparks riots across the city, drawing Abu into events that force Karl to race home.

Narrated by Esu, the Yoruba trickster who stands at the crossroads of communication and misunderstanding, When We Speak of Nothing is a powerful coming-of-age novel about identity, friendship and belonging. Written in vibrant, contemporary prose, it captures what it means to be young, Black and queer in modern Britain.