The Lies We Tell
Nigeria

The Lies We Tell

by Fatima Bala

Women & Society Literary Fiction 2026

Summary

Set across Northern Nigeria, The Lies We Tell is a collection of short stories exploring the private lives of Hausa women and the secrets, compromises, and unspoken truths that shape their relationships. From the dye pits of Zaria to the rooftops of Abuja, Fatima Bala portrays women navigating family expectations, love, marriage, and the complicated demands of tradition. Grandmothers whisper to unseen spirits, young women confront the limits imposed on their ambitions, and families preserve fragile bonds through silences that can protect as easily as they can wound.

Blending wit, tenderness, grief, and elements of the supernatural, these stories reveal the hidden negotiations behind everyday life. Bala examines how women inherit expectations across generations, how affection can become a form of power, and how the truths people conceal sometimes sustain the very relationships they threaten to destroy. The Lies We Tell offers an intimate portrait of contemporary Northern Nigerian life, giving voice to women whose experiences are often kept behind closed doors.

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Country
Nigeria
Africa
About the author
Fatima Bala
Fatima Bala

Fatima Bala is a Nigerian novelist, poet, and lecturer born in Kaduna, Nigeria. Her writing explores the complexities of Northern Nigerian society, particularly the intersections of faith, culture, family, love, and women’s experiences. She is interested in portraying Hausa characters with nuance, moving beyond stereotypes to reveal the contradictions, desires, and difficult choices that shape everyday life. She currently lives between Nigeria and Canada with her husband and children. Bala is the author of Broken: Not a Halal Love Story and Hafsatu Bebi, both of which explore relationships, identity, and the tensions between personal desires and social expectations. Her short-story collection The Lies We Tell (2026) continues this exploration through intimate stories of Hausa women navigating family obligations, secrecy, and generational expectations. Alongside writing, Bala enjoys photography, travelling, and board games.

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Details
Published
2026
Author
Fatima Bala