The #1 Best Seller “The Death of Mother: An Ogbanje Story” by Dr Cynthia C. Umezulike is now available paperback.
SYNOPSIS
In Western culture, repeated pregnancy loss often leads women to seek answers in modern medicine. But in Igbo land, recurring loss signals the presence of an Ogbanje—a restless ancestral spirit, a child who drifts between worlds. Nonye, branded as an Ogbanje, is believed to have sealed her mother Nneoma’s womb, preventing more children. Desperate for another child, Nneoma turns to a fanatical apostle who urges her to drive out the “evil spirit” through violence and abuse, subjecting Nonye to trauma and neglect. After the loss of her beloved grandmother, Nonye’s sorrow transforms into vengeance as she confronts the forces that sought to break her.
AUTHORS PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
They say authors often draw from the tapestry of their own lives to spin a tale. The story of Nonye, as woven in these pages, feels intimately familiar. Though the book unfolds against a backdrop of folklore and fiction, Nonye’s journey mirrors the shadows of my own. I, too, once walked the path she treads, surviving childhood abuse trauma that lingers like an indelible mark.
I dedicate this story to the memory of my beloved late granny Blessing Chukwuma, who stood as my fiercest protector, wrapping me in her boundless love when my world felt broken. Yet here, I do not bury my pain in ink, for that ache has healed in time. This narrative does not echo a wound, but rather a reckoning. For Nonye, revenge becomes the only light in her darkness. Can we fault her for seeking it?