Imbolo Mbue’s long awaited epic new novel, about loss, sorrow, forgiveness, redemption and surviving unspeakable tragedy.
EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY
by Imbolo Mbue
Random House, Fall 2026
(via Writers House)
Credit: Kiriko Sano
Three years ago, Wolo’s pregnant wife was killed in a tragic car accident. In an instant, his great love was gone, and so was their shining future: the twins they were expecting, the PhD she was on the cusp of finishing, and all the plans they’ve had for a long, happy life. At times the loss seemed insurmountable, but with the help from his tight knit family Wolo has slowly rebuilt a semblance of a life, he goes to work, hangs out with a small circle of friends, and fends off the matchmaking efforts of the older women in his family. His sorrow never leaves him and neither does the anger towards Victoria, the woman who was behind the wheel that terrible day. His wife was not just the love of his life, she became the daughter his mother never had, beloved cousin to all members of his family, her loss has left them all devastated and angry.
Then one day a letter arrives, unbidden, threatening to upend his life once again. It is from Victoria. Wolo’s pastor tells him the letter is the work of the devil; his mother expressly forbids him from even reading it; his whole family is against it. But Wolo does read it and agrees to meet with the person who killed his wife. When he does, the compassion and deep remorse of the woman he meets surprises him. He is not the only person whose life was shattered by the accident and he begins to wonder if forgiving Victoria is the only road to healing for them both.
Moving, empathetic, insightful and compassionate EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY charts the uneven path from heartbreak to hope; from standing up to one’s own family and following one’s own path, to love lost and love found.
Imbolo Mbue is the author of the New York Times bestseller Behold the Dreamers, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and was an Oprah’s Book Club selection. Her second novel, How Beautiful We Were, about a fictional African village’s fight against an American oil company, was named by the New York Times as “One of the 10 Best Books” of 2021.