Little Rot

Published in 2024, Little Rot is the eighth book by Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi. The novel is set in the fictional Nigerian city of New Lagos and follows six main characters over a tumultuous 36 hours. At the start, Aima leaves her boyfriend, Kalu, setting in motion a string of events that leads to violence, corruption, and even murder. Emezi takes readers on a dark journey into the underbelly of New Lagos’s elite, exploring The Ubiquity of Male Sexual Violence, The Fight to Maintain Moral Integrity, and The Influence of Circumstance on Individual Actions and Identity.

This guide uses the 2024 Riverhead Books Kindle edition of the text.

Content Warning: The novel and this guide contain references to violence, murder, drug use, rape, human trafficking, child abuse, and child sexual abuse.

Plot Summary

The novel opens with Kalu driving his girlfriend, Aima, to the airport. The couple met in the United States, but after moving back to Nigeria, their relationship started to sour. Aima leaned into her Christian faith and worried they were sinning by remaining unmarried. Kalu refused to marry her, and after several months of increasingly bitter arguments, Aima announced she was leaving him. However, after he drops her off, she changes her mind about catching her flight to London and calls her friend Ijendu, asking to stay. Ijendu decides that Aima needs a distraction from thoughts of Kalu and suggests they go clubbing with her friends. Aima doesn’t usually condone Ijendu’s material indulgences, but this time, she agrees, even taking the pills Ijendu’s friends offer. A few hours into the night, drunk and high, Aima and Ijendu begin making out. Ijendu calls her driver to take them home, where they fall into bed together. In the morning, Aima is sick with guilt. She prays for guidance and realizes she loves Kalu and wants to give their relationship another chance. Ijendu is happy to hear this and suggests they visit Kalu’s friend, Ahmed, to see if he thinks Kalu might be open to restarting the relationship.

While Aima goes clubbing with Ijendu, Kalu attends an exclusive sex party thrown by his friend Ahmed. However, he is distracted by thoughts of Aima and struggles to enjoy the party. When he hears a rumor that a child is being raped in one of the rooms, he is horrified and rushes off to learn if it is true. He breaks through a locked door to find a group of men circling a young girl. One of the men is having sex with her, and Kalu pulls him off and punches him. The bouncer throws Kalu out and locks him in Ahmed’s office. Ahmed insists the whole thing is a misunderstanding. He says the girl is of age and that he is paying her generously for the job. Kalu remains distraught, and Ahmed escorts him out. Kalu drinks alone in his apartment, missing Aima, until he can no longer stand being there. He wanders out into the city and takes a random train. On the train, he meets the bartender from Ahmed’s party, who tells him the man he attacked was Okinosho, a pastor and one of the most influential men in Nigeria. In retaliation, Okinosho has put a bounty on Kalu. Panicking, he returns to the safety of his apartment. He intends to call Ahmed to sort things out but passes out.

After Kalu leaves, Ahmed finds a woman to sleep with at the party, hoping to get his mind off the mishap with his friend. However, a few hours later, he still feels agitated and unable to sleep, so he visits a friend who throws queer sex parties. There, Ahmed has sex with Seun, a young actor, and heads home a few hours later. On his way, his driver informs him that the guest Kalu assaulted was Okinosho and that the pastor has called for Kalu’s death. Ahmed is horrified at the news, but he is distracted by a text from Souraya, a sex worker with whom he shared a brief but intense connection in Johannesburg after he rescued her from a violent client.

After swearing she would never return to Nigeria, Souraya was persuaded to accompany her friend Ola on a visit to her wealthiest and most high-profile client, the pastor Okinosho. While Ola goes to lunch with Okinosho, Souraya remembers that Ahmed lives in New Lagos and decides to get in touch. He agrees to pick her up for lunch but remains distracted by the threat to Kalu. Ahmed tells Souraya about his predicament, and she suggests they ask Ola for help. However, Ahmed is distracted by a text message from Seun. The message contains a video from their morning encounter and threats to publicize the video. Furious, Ahmed texts Seun his address and drives Souraya back to her hotel.

Seun is waiting at Ahmed’s house when he arrives. They have sex, but in his anger, Ahmed strangles Seun to death. He sits on the floor in shock until he hears Aima calling his name. She and Ijendu are horrified to find Seun’s body, but Ijendu quickly takes charge, instructing them to put the body in Ahmed’s trunk. Then, she drives to Okinosho’s. Ahmed is surprised and frightened to find himself in Okinosho’s compound after the issue at the party and the hit on Kalu. However, Okinosho agrees to help as long as Ahmed brings him Machi, the young girl from the party. Ahmed has no choice but to agree.

Meanwhile, Kalu wakes in the mid-afternoon. The security guard tells him he has a delivery, but Kalu is immediately suspicious. He is sure the delivery man is Okinosho’s assassin and instructs the guard to tell everyone he isn’t home. However, he soon sees the man trying to climb the fence. Terrified, Kalu runs. He rushes to his car, but the assassin pursues him in a high-speed car chase. Eventually, Kalu pulls into a crowded market and jumps on the back of a motorcycle. He shoves a wad of cash at the young driver and tells him he needs to disappear. The boy races off and takes Kalu to a secret underground strip club, where he finally contacts Ahmed.

After leaving Okinosho’s compound, Ahmed returns to Souraya’s hotel. He confesses to murdering Seun while they were having sex in a “twisted erotic moment” and afterward asks her to come with him to pick up Kalu. He and Souraya find Kalu being entertained by one of the dancers. When Kalu sees his friend, he jumps up with an expression that makes Souraya realize he is in love with Ahmed. However, she is quickly distracted by someone tapping her shoulder. She doesn’t recognize the man at first, but when he calls her by her old name, she realizes he is someone who kidnapped and abused her as a child. Overcome with fear and revulsion, she stabs him with a hidden knife. She, Ahmed, and Kalu hurry out of the club, and Kalu and Ahmed take Souraya back to the hotel, where Ola meets her. Souraya insists it was a mistake coming back to New Lagos and begins packing immediately.

Ola goes to Okinosho’s, where the pastor forces Kalu to have sex with Machi to remind him that he is not “superior” to anyone—a “punishment” that Ola secretly persuaded Okinosho to impose in lieu of killing Kalu. It is “humiliating and devastating.” Afterward, Kalu is silent and stunned in Ahmed’s car. Ahmed, too, is wracked with guilt for his role in the events, but he knows he did what he had to do to save his friend. Aima calls, asking Kalu for forgiveness and a second chance. Sobbing, he tells her he isn’t the man she thinks he is, and they cannot be together. Ahmed tries to tell Kalu that he can still be with Aima, even with so many secrets between them. However, when Kalu says it is “too late,” Ahmed quietly agrees and drives them both into the darkness.