Hail Mary by Funmi Fetto

 

Hail Mary by Funmi Fetto.

Published 24th April 2025 by Magpie.

From the cover of the book:

A stunning collection of short stories capturing the lives of nine Nigerian women, each very different, each determined to fight for themselves.

Meet Ifeoma. She's been ready to leave her violent husband for some time, but her plans for a quiet departure take an unexpectedly gruesome turn...

Nkechi, a housemaid for a rich Lagos family, bears the weight of her Madam's wrath when she discovers her husband's dark secret.

In London, Riliwa meets Mary, a guardian angel full of advice, wisdom and practical support as she navigates her unfamiliar new home. But it soon becomes clear that Mary's kindness comes at a price.

Passionate, raw, full of heart and humour, these are stories about women who will not be broken by the challenges life puts in their way.

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Hail Mary is the stunning debut short story collection from British-Nigerian journalist Funmi Fetto, and it packs a whopping punch on the emotional front. The nine stories are set in Nigeria and Britain, and offer compelling vignettes on the lives of nine very different black women - most are standalones, but some are also linked, which I was delighted to discover. 

For a debut fiction writer, Fetto does an incredible job exploring a wealth of themes in this collection, particularly when it comes to race, identity, prejudice, religion, expectation, love, images of beauty, and legacy. And, my goodness, does she have the ability to make you feel every ounce of the complex emotions that these stories elicit, through the trials, tribulations, triumphs, and tragedies of her sharply observed characters.

Some of these tales filled me with despair, especially the haunting House Girl about the abuses vulnerable Nkechi suffers at the hands of her callous employers. Others thrum with sentiments of hope as new light dawns for women forced to hide their real selves in order to survive. My absolute favourite was Dodo is Yoruba for Fried Plantain, about Morayo's reawakening as feels her way back to her long-suppressed cultural roots through her rediscovery of Nigerian food after the death of her white, middle-class husband... closely followed by the deliciously dark, 2 Samuel 6:14, about Ifeoma's plans to rid herself of her controlling husband. All are wonderfully immersive, despite their brevity.

I absolutely loved this bold and beautiful collection, revelling in the way it sent me spiralling down a myriad of thought provoking paths about the complicated cultural, spiritual, and societal issues that shaped the lives of these women - their strength, spirit, humour, and resilience will linger long in my heart. What a debut!

Hail Mary is available to buy now in hardcover and ebook formats.

Thank you to Oneworld for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Funmi Fetto is a London-based journalist and editor, and is currently the Style Editor at British Vogue. As a digital and print journalist, she has worked and written for numerous publications and organizations including Glamour.com, Vanity Fair, InStyle, Sunday Times Style, Guardian and Tatler.

Funmi is the author of the bestselling book Palette: A Black Beauty Bible for Women of Colour and a columnist at the Observer. Her work largely intersects across art, beauty, culture, race and identity.