What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky - Lesley Nneka Arimah - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Lesley Nneka Arimah

GENRE: Short Story Collection

PUBLICATION DATE: April 4, 2017

RATING: 3.95 stars.

In a Nutshell: A short story collection based primarily in Nigeria. Excellent plots, diverse genres, intriguing characters, fabulous writing. Thought-provoking and captivating as a whole. Can't believe this is a debut work! Much recommended.

This collection comprises twelve stories, almost all of which are set in Nigeria. The author, born in the UK, has Nigerian roots and has spent a part of her childhood there, among other places. Reading the book though, you won't be able to tell that it is written by an expat. (Of course, I have no first-hand experience of Nigeria, so this is based on whatever I have read of the country through other books by OwnVoices authors.) There is a gritty undercurrent to the stories that depict the country without being excessively positive or negative.

This book came into my life thanks to its title. I didn't know what to expect from such a bizarre declaration. Would it be literal (A man falling due to a malfunctioning parachute? A sky dive gone wrong?) or metaphorical (a man losing his high social standing after doing something ghastly?) Well, the story didn't contain anything close to this, and I don't think I could have guessed the actual premise in my wildest dreams. I'll obviously not leak any details here. You gotta read the book to know what it means when a man falls out of the sky. 🤐

There is no author’s note or foreword introducing the theme, but the blurb states that this book “explores the ties that bind parents and children, husbands and wives, lovers and friends to one another and to the places they call home.” I find this quite accurate, though there’s no way I would have been able to guess this theme merely on reading the stories. This is because the tales come from a wide variety of genres, rambling from contemporary realism and family drama and crime to magical realism, near-future dystopian, and mild horror. One is even a fable. This eclectic mix ensures that each story stands on its own in a powerful way, but it is tough to see the common thread tying them together.

The writing is so impactful that even the fantastical stories seem true to life. Though the setting remains mostly the same, the content never feels repetitive, nor do the themes create déjà vu. The stories are fairly fast-paced, with no compromise on description or character detailing. They are fairly balanced between plot-driven and character-driven. The narrative point of view is also varied: young children and senior citizens, men and women, first person and third person (and one story even in second person.)

The ending is always a crucial factor in the enjoyment of a short story. The endings in these twelve tales are mostly apt. Not HEA, nor HFN, not abrupt, but suited to the tone of the plot. However, two of the stories end in a somewhat vague manner, with the main character on the crux of a decision that could go either way. Even your reaction to these stories could go either way: you might like mulling over both the paths open to the narrator or you might be frustrated that the author didn’t tell you what the character decided. I think I felt a mix of both sentiments! 😅

Whenever I read story collections, I read a story a day. But in this case, I found most of the stories so gripping that I kept reading more. After a long time, I have completed a collection within just three days.

As always, I rated the stories individually. Every single story earned a minimum of three stars, which means I found no story bad. Here are my top favourite six stories that earned 4+ stars each:

🌾 The Future Looks Good: What a fabulous start to the book! This story is brilliant and painful at once! Took me a while to understand where the author was going. No way could I have guessed the direction! - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌾 Light: A bittersweet story from a dad's point of view. Love the beautiful way in which emotions are expressed in this tale. Dads rarely get to show their vulnerable side so well. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌾 Second Chances: Such a bizarre story and yet a grounded one! Love how it doesn't go into explanations. You just have to accept what happened. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌾 Windfalls: A dark and heartbreaking story. A sad example of selfish parenting. I wish I could say this was unrealistic. The second person voice added to my reading experience. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌾 Who Will Greet You At Home?: A crazy story that's so imaginative and creepy at once! Would have rated this higher had one ending scene been more detailed. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌾 Buchi's Girls: Yet another gloomy story that feels realistic without being melodramatic. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

On the whole, I am mighty impressed with this debut collection. With its imaginative plots, emotional impact, memorable characters, and a great medley of genres, this book delivers on almost all counts. This is my favourite short story collection of 2025 (so far.) I’d love to read more by this author.

Definitely recommended to readers who enjoy African fiction and OwnVoices short story collections.

3.95 stars, based on the average of my rating for each tale. (If you are familiar with my ratings, you know that an average coming close to 4 stars is wonderful for an anthology.)

This was a library read, picked for the GR Challenge prompt of ‘Acclaimed Titles’. For once, my challenge pick delivered!