Chaucer’s Books will host Afabwaje Kurian for an in-store book talk and signing of her new release “Before the Mango Ripens,” 6 p.m. Nov. 18 at Chaucer’s. Joining the author in conversation is Lisa Stewart. 

“Before the Mango Ripens” is set against the backdrop of 1970s Nigeria as it teeters between post-colonial dependency and self-rule.

Kurian’s book examines the enduring themes of faith, disillusionment, and the search for belonging. In Rabata, everyone has secrets–especially since the arrival of the white American missionaries. 

The book’s main character Jummai, 20, is a beautiful and unassuming house girl whose dreams of escaping her home life are disrupted when an unexpected pregnancy forces her to hide her lover’s identity.

Tebeya, an ambitious Dublin-educated doctor, has left prestigious opportunities abroad to return to the small town of her birth, and discovers a painful betrayal when she strives to take control of the mission clinic.

Zanya is a young translator, enticed by promises of progress, who comes to Rabata to escape a bitter past and finds himself embroiled in a fight against the American reverend for the heart of the church and town. 

United by their yearning for change, all three must make difficult decisions that threaten the fragile relationships of the Rabata they know.

As tensions mount and hypocrisies are unveiled, the people of Rabata are faced with a question that will transform their town forever: Let the Americans stay, or make them go?

Kurian received her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her short fiction has been published in McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Callaloo, Crazyhorse, The Bare Life Review, and Joyland Magazine.

She has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa, for the International Writing Program, and for The Writer’s Center.

Born in Jos, Nigeria, and raised in Maryland and Ohio, Kurian now divides her time between Washington, D.C. and the Midwest. “Before the Mango Ripens” (Dzanc Books) is her debut novel.

Stewart, originally from Virginia, found her passion in California’s diverse tapestry of culture, nature and art. She has lived in the Golden State home for seven years.

Her commitment to fostering inclusivity and belonging drives her work as an administrator at UCSB, where she strives to create a welcoming and equitable community for all.