Ripples of Borrowed Dreams

By Kome Akpobire

Ripples of Borrowed Dreams is an evocative literary novel about tradition, expectations, and the courage to choose one's own path.
In historic Oleh, a quiet town in rural Nigeria, Obonna's future is planted long before he can name it.. Raised to carry the weight of family ambition, he becomes a quiet pillar of sacrifice, a man shaped by expectation rather than desire. Years later, his nephew Efe inherits the weight of those same expectations, carrying the family's hopes across oceans to Canada on the promise of scholarship and success. When he returns home as "Doctor," applause greets him. He becomes the embodiment of family pride and pressure. But beneath the celebration lies an unspoken question: whose dream has he fulfilled?
As Nigeria's socioeconomic landscape shifts with reforms, rising cities, and renewed hope across the Niger Delta and beyond Efe stands at a crossroads. Raised to honour family and uplift community, he must confront the tension between tradition and personal convictions. Between Oleh's ancestral rhythms and Toronto's academic corridors, he wrestles with belonging, duty, and identity. Set against the rich cultural heritage of the Niger Delta in Nigeria, this novel with unflinching insight explores the ripples of the silent burden carried by a generation bred intentionally to succeed for many. It asks a haunting question: Is success truly success if it is not freely chosen?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GQWPCCDL
• ISBN13: 9798250189095
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 454 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"