Leave Your Mess at Home by Tolani Akinola

<p>This episode of Narrative Edge explores <em>Leave Your Mess at Home</em>, the debut novel from Atlanta-based author Tolani Akinola. Peter Biello and Orlando Montoya unpack the book’s layered story of a Nigerian American family in Chicago as they navigate estrangement, identity, immigration, romance, sexuality, and generational pressures. From a tense Thanksgiving reunion to questions about what families owe one another, this conversation explores why the novel resonates with readers seeking emotionally charged contemporary fiction.</p>