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Nneka Oluoha’s debut novel, Live for Me, Nkem, is a powerful and emotionally layered domestic drama that dares to examine what happens when a woman begins to disappear inside her own life.
Set in a modern Nigerian-American home in Southern California, the story follows Nkem, a nurse, wife, and mother, who is quietly unraveling beneath the surface of what appears to be a well-ordered family. While her husband, Chima, a respected dentist, carries the visible burdens of parenting, extended family expectations, and cultural obligations, Nkem battles an internal darkness she cannot easily name. A relentless whisper in her mind isolates her from her daughters, Toochi and Chidinma, and deepens her guilt as a mother and wife.
Through alternating perspectives, the novel explores the weight of silence, intergenerational expectations, and the unspoken cultural pressures embodied by figures like Auntie Nkechi. As depression tightens its grip, Nkem must confront a life-altering truth: survival requires choosing herself.
Published by Koehler Books Publishing, Live for Me, Nkem is a poignant exploration of mental health, resilience, and the hidden battles people fight behind closed doors and the courage it takes to step out of the shadows and reclaim one’s voice.
