1993. Houston. Dr. Wale Olufunmi, lunar rock geologist, has a life most
Nigerian immigrants would kill for, but then most Nigerians aren't
Wale--a great scientific mind in exile with galactic ambitions. Then
comes an outlandish order: steal a piece of the moon. With both personal
and national glory at stake, Wale manages to pull off the near
impossible, setting out on a journey back to Nigeria that leads anywhere
but home. Compelled by Wale's impulsive act, Nigerians traces arcs in
time and space from Houston to Stockholm, from Cape Town to Bulawayo,
picking up on the intersecting lives of a South African abalone
smuggler, a freedom fighter's young daughter, and Wale's own ambitious
son. Deji Olukotun's debut novel defies categorization--a story of
international intrigue that tackles deeper questions about exile,
identity, and the need to answer an elusive question: what exactly is
brain gain?