On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, After You Died is a haunting, heartfelt memoir by Nina Ihuoma Ndubuisi that transforms a childhood shattered by grief and abuse into a powerful testament to resilience and hope.
After You Died
In her searing memoir, After You Died, Nina Ihuoma Ndubuisi lays bare a childhood fractured by loss and abuse, offering a raw and resonant exploration of grief, identity, and survival. Written as an intimate letter to the mother she lost at six years old, this haunting narrative captures the voice of a child, then a teenager, and finally a woman piecing together her identity from the ruins of trauma. With unflinching honesty and spare, evocative prose, Ndubuisi transforms personal pain into a universal testament to resilience and truth-telling.
When Ndubuisi’s mother died, the loss was not only of a parent but of safety, love, and self. What followed was a harrowing cascade of abandonment and abuse from those meant to protect her. She was a little child when she had her childhood stolen, what followed was spending her whole life learning how to piece herself back together. Silenced by suffering, she learned to survive by disappearing—yet a flicker of strength and hope endured, guiding her toward healing.
After You Died is both a tribute to her mother and a reckoning with the silence that shrouded her pain. Ndubuisi’s prose is piercing, shaped by years of navigating unspoken grief and searching for meaning. The memoir does not shy away from the raw interior of trauma, nor does it offer easy answers. Instead, it extends a lifeline to readers, inviting those who carry hidden wounds to break their own silence.
This is more than a memoir—it’s a powerful act of reclamation. Ndubuisi’s journey from a shattered childhood to a purposeful life shines through, her voice lingering as a reminder that even the deepest wounds can give rise to courage and clarity. After You Died is a must-read: a captivating, heart-wrenching true story that illuminates the enduring power of hope and the strength found in speaking truth.
Nina Ihuoma Ndubuisi
My intention in writing ‘After You Died’ was never just to revisit pain; it was to make sense of it, to give it shape, and ultimately, to release it. For years I carried grief like a secret, wrapped in shame and silence. But silence is heavy, and I wanted to speak, not only for myself, but for anyone who has ever felt invisible in the aftermath of loss. This book is for the daughters who mothered themselves, for the children who survived what should have broken them, and for every person still trying to find their way back to themselves. Writing this was an act of defiance and devotion – to my mother’s memory, and to my own voice.
-Nina Ihuoma Ndubuisi
Nina Ihuoma Ndubuisi, a British-born Nigerian author and former nurse and midwife, transitioned from blogging to publishing her debut novel, New Year’s Day: Sometimes the Truth HurtsBest Kept Secret, and her poignant memoir After You Died, drawing from her experiences; she now works as a project manager in social services, supporting individuals with learning disabilities and mental health challenges in Belvedere, Kent, where she lives with her husband, three daughters, and two granddaughters, enjoying travel, shopping, and cooking in her spare time.
Find more from Nina Ihuoma Ndubuisi now:
Kindle: https://amzn.to/4le0XSr
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