853 Results with the "Fiction" genre


    • Chapter

      Birdwoman

      Birdwoman Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin Felicity, the protagonist of *Birdwoman*, is introduced as a woman whose life has been marked by unhappiness from birth. Conceived out of wedlock, she grew up in a religious household where her parents’ guilt manifested in strict piety and financial deprivation. Her childhood was further marred by abuse from an older cousin, and even after escaping her family at nineteen by stealing money, her discontent persisted. Despite building a successful tailoring business through shrewdness—poaching skilled…
    • Chapter

      Girlie

      Girlie Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter follows Girlie, a young domestic worker, as she navigates her daily responsibilities for her employers, Madam and Oga. Sent to the market three times a week, she purchases household items, groceries, and baby supplies, adapting to their preferences while masking her exhaustion. Girlie reflects on the disparities between her employers' affluent lifestyle and her own humble background in Akko, a village far removed from their polished neighborhood. Her observations highlight the invisible labor…
    • The Wonders of the World Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with Abisola, a student who joins a school geography trip at the last minute after her mother unexpectedly earns enough money from a sale. Feeling self-conscious about her borrowed sneakers and the pitying looks from the trip coordinator, Mr. Baju, Abisola boards the bus and finds herself seated next to Zeme, a peculiar new boy whose erratic movements and unsettling aura make others uncomfortable. Zeme’s unusual behavior, including his whispered prayers and intuitive understanding of…
    • Chapter

      The Dusk Market

      The Dusk Market Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter introduces the enigmatic Dusk Market, a hidden marketplace that emerges at twilight, filled with sensory richness—smoky stockfish, buzzing flies, sizzling agbara pans, and the cacophony of bartering voices. The market is preceded by flickering kerosene lanterns, guiding the way for those who belong. Ordinary pedestrians and drivers avoid the intersection instinctively, though children occasionally glimpse surreal sights like head-hopping men or winking birds, which adults dismiss or ignore.…
    • Chapter

      Manifest

      Manifest Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with the protagonist, a 26-year-old woman, discovering her first pimple and fixating on its presence. As she examines the blemish, her mother unexpectedly calls her "Agnes," a name that does not belong to her. This unsettling moment occurs during a mundane activity of sorting beans, where the protagonist takes pleasure in removing and killing weevils, drawing a parallel to societal exclusion. The mother's sudden use of the name Agnes, followed by her silent retreat, introduces an air of…
    • Chapter

      Breastmilk

      Breastmilk Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with the protagonist's raw and conflicted emotions after childbirth as she holds her newborn son for the first time. She describes the baby as a "warm, slimy creature," reflecting her detachment, while hospital staff interact with her in a patronizing manner. Her husband, Timi, attempts to participate but is sidelined by the traditional hospital protocols, mirroring the protagonist's own unspoken tensions in their marriage. The physical exhaustion of labor contrasts with her observational…
    • Masquerade Season Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin Pauly, a disobedient but imaginative boy, routinely ignores his mother's warnings to stick to major roads on his way home from his cousins' house. Preferring quieter, scenic routes, he often takes a shortcut through the Alele Estate, where the guards recognize him. One day, after staying late playing with his cousins, Pauly encounters three mysterious masquerades blocking his path in the bush. Despite their eerie presence and out-of-season appearance, Pauly politely addresses them, intrigued by their vivid…
    • Story

      Parade

      Parade Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin Rachel Cusk's Parade is a sharp meditation on performance, identity, and art. Following a renowned theater director, the novel explores the blurred lines between reality and illusion as she navigates creative ambition and personal disillusionment. With Cusk’s signature precision, Parade questions the roles we play in life.
    • Chapter

      The Spy

      The Spy Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with a group of characters—Julia, Mauro, David, and Betsy—concluding a meal and preparing to leave. Betsy, struggling with mobility, leans on David for support, remarking on his steadiness despite his drinking. Their farewell is tinged with a sense of transience, encapsulated by Betsy’s comment: “If it only happened once, it didn’t happen at all.” The scene shifts to a contemplative observation of the courtyard, where the remnants of the evening—elongated shadows, bare…
    • I. Before the Nap Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with a charged diplomatic lunch between Cortés's conquistadors and Aztec nobility in the palace of Axayacatl, where cultural tensions surface immediately. Captain Jazmín Caldera's visceral disgust at sharing a meal with blood-smeared priests underscores the Spaniards' alienation in this sophisticated yet alien world. Cortés, ever the strategist, tests boundaries by boasting of his Tlaxcalan allies—a gambit that backfires when Princess Atotoxtli extracts the truth from Caldera about…
    Note