We Have Come Home

We Have Come Home is a collection of family-themed stories designed to evoke emotion. In these eighteen stories, Damilola Olaniyi travels to many people's definition of Home. From affluent to middle-class to abject poverty, these stories are designed to tug the threads that hold our emotions in place.

The title story, We Have Come Home, is one of loss, acceptance and new beginnings. Lynda tries to find herself in a life poked by stereotypes. Family Story is one woman's history which her daughter discovers after her death. No More Laughter is the story of a young girl all too familiar with the ineptitude that riddles our educational system and how life in a new country robs her of her laughter. In Swallowed Tears, a young family is in distress over their son's new reality.

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Diverse, bite-sized and poignant, this collection of 18 short stories by Damilola Olaniyi includes:

WE HAVE COME HOME

A young woman experiences loss and new beginnings as she tries to find herself in a life poked by stereotypes.

FAMILY STORY

A young woman uncovers her tainted history after her mother’s death.

SHADOW’S STRENGTH

A consultation with a paediatrician brings a young family to the reality of their son’s condition. 

CLOSED OPTION

A street child feeds his demons but loses the bet on Life.

PRECIOUS

In this poignant short story, a girl is kidnapped and becomes dependent on her kidnapper even after suffering abuse at his hands. Her family tries to keep time at a standstill for her.

LIFE IN WHINERY YARD

In Whinery Yard, poverty is a cloak all occupants wear but Udeme is tired of being an unwilling participant in his mother's unending sacrifice. In his quest for a better life, he faces hardships and struggles with being the boy his mother used to know. His story tells of 'being' rather than 'becoming'.