Every silence hides a story. Every story hides a truth. In The Quiet General & Other Stories, acclaimed Nigerian storyteller Matthew Simpa paints a powerful portrait of a nation and its people—wrestling with conscience, corruption, faith, and the fragile hope that refuses to die.

From the title story “The Quiet General”, where a veteran journalist becomes an unwilling symbol of truth in a time of political unrest, to “Daddy’s Big Girl,” a searing tale of courage in the face of abuse, each story pulses with humanity and emotional depth.

Simpa’s characters—parents and children, dreamers and survivors, believers and skeptics—move through the streets of Lagos and the villages of Ihima, carrying both their wounds and their wonder.

In “The Weight of Six Bundles,” a struggling couple discovers the true cost of building a home; “The Stolen Rice” exposes the quiet desperation that poverty breeds; and “The Enchanted Hills of Ihima” reminds us that even in myth, hope is never lost.

Blending realism with reflection, The Quiet General & Other Stories is both an intimate mirror and a national lament—an unforgettable journey through the conscience of modern Nigeria.

Perfect for readers who love: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Helon Habila African social and political fiction Realistic short stories with emotional depth Stories about justice, identity, and redemption “Every nation is a battlefield. Some fight with guns, others with words.

The rest fight just to stay sane.” — from “The Quiet General”