One Leg on Earth

Weaving macabre elements and social commentary into a story about motherhood, ‘Pemi Aguda’s debut novel asks what it means to bring new life into a city built on erasure. Set in Lagos, One Leg on Earth follows Yosoye, a university graduate hoping to reinvent herself while navigating a place where pregnant women have been inexplicably walking into bodies of water and drowning themselves. What initially appears to be a supernatural mystery unfolds into an exploration of motherhood, belonging, class, displacement, and the staggering but hidden costs of development. In stunning prose, Aguda evokes the sights and smells of Lagos: the city becomes a character in its own right, a force existing between the liminal and the real that keeps Yosoye in constant, suffocating tension. With rich symbolism, layered themes and an unforgettable sense of place, this is a book that practically begs to be discussed with other readers.