…“It Is So Surreal. I Still Can’t Believe We’re Talking About My Son Who Died”
Award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says her bond with Nigeria has been broken by grief.
In a raw interview with The New York Times, the writer said that the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, in January has changed how she feels about the country she once called the source of everything in her writing.
“My feelings toward Nigeria have changed; I do not want to go back to Nigeria,” Adichie said.
—THE LOSS THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING—
Nkanu Adichie-Esege, one of twin boys born via surrogate in 2024, died on January 7, 2026, after a short illness.
The family alleges that complications arose at Euracare Hospital after a referral from another facility during procedures involving sedation for an MRI.
Euracare has denied wrongdoing, saying care met international standards and that the child arrived critically ill.
Recalling the moment she was told, Adichie’s voice broke.
“One of the doctors approached me in a state of panic after the procedure. He was very calm, and he said to me, ‘Well, look, they gave him too much Propofol.’ Those were his exact words, which I will never forget until the day I die,” she said.
“I mean, it is so surreal, all of this. I still can’t believe we’re talking about my son who died. You’re going through something, but you also feel like you’re outside of it.”
—FROM “HAPPY PLACE” TO HEARTBREAK—
For years, Nigeria was central to Adichie’s identity. She has often described it as the place that gave her “everything”—the stories, the language, and the world that made her a writer.
Now, that connection is fractured.
The only reason she might consider returning, she said, is for her children. Her daughter still calls Nigeria her “happy place.”
But for Adichie herself, the pain of losing Nkanu in Lagos has overshadowed the memories.
—A NATIONAL CONVERSATION—
The interview has reignited debate in Nigeria about medical care, accountability in private hospitals, and the experience of grieving parents.
Adichie did not announce any legal action, but her account has drawn thousands of reactions online, with many Nigerians expressing condolences while others defended the country’s healthcare system.
Before this, Adichie had been one of Nigeria’s most prominent cultural ambassadors abroad. Her novels Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah put Nigerian stories on the global stage.
Now, she says, home feels different.
“It is so surreal,” she repeated. “I still can’t believe we’re talking about my son who died.”
