The Faults of the Superficial

Terminal Maladies is Nebeolisa’s intimate recounting of time spent with and apart from his mother, who lived with cancer ‘in her thigh for twenty-seven years,’ as described in the poem ‘Nomenclature of My Mother’s Name’. She passed away on 23 July 2023. The book is divided into three sections—‘Home’, ‘Abroad’, and ‘After’—each as reflective of its theme as the clearing of the cloudy sky after rainfall. Having left Nigeria for the United States in 2021 for his graduate education, Nebeolisa uses the first section, ‘Home’, to reflect on the moments shared with his mother at home as her illness took a lethal turn. The ‘Abroad’ section is filled with longing, particularly in Nebeolisa’s imaginings of home, shaped by the necessary circumstance of his travel abroad. The final section, ‘After’, offers a poignant, universal meditation on the memories of his mother following her death.