Queer Love Stories: A Series of Events | These Letters End in Tears

Online and offline, we are so excited to have These Letters End in Tears travel through the UK this June. Exeter, London, Brighton and Brixton will play hosts to this wonderful debut Cameroon-set queer love story, and its author Musih Tedji Xaviere who seeks to tell a robust Cameroon story that does not leave behind voices often kept in the margins.

So this June, come alone or with friends, from the comfort of your bed or out to meet fellow literature lovers and get to know more about the world of Fatima and Bessem, and the linguistically divided country that plays host to their epic love story. 

Friday June 7th 2024 | Africa Writes Festival Exeter 

In conversation with JJ Bola at 2:30pm

Tickets: Free

Thursday 13th June 2024 | Battersea Bookshop London

In conversation with Kelechi Okafor at 6:30pm

Tickets: £7

Tuesday 18th June 2024 | Brighton Book Festival Online Event 

It Must Be Love Panel with Talia Hibbert and Elaine Chiew

Tickets: £4

Thursday 27th June 2024 | Readers and Writers' Festival Lambeth 

In conversation with Maame Blue

Tickets: Free

About These Letters End in Tears 

Set in Cameroon, where being gay is punishable by law, These Letters End in Tears tells the tender and devastating story of forbidden love. Bessem first encounters Fatima on the soccer field, mesmerized by her effortless grace and beauty. When Fatima's brother discovers their secret, his violent intervention leads to a police raid. Fatima vanishes, leaving Bessem to navigate the pain of her absence. Thirteen years later, now a university professor, Bessem embarks on a poignant journey to find her lost love. A powerful novel about the multiple ways that love can persevere despite the odds.

Praise for These Letters End in Tears

“Musih Tedji Xaviere’s debut novel These Letters End In Tears is a beautifully tender, heartfelt story about love and the devastating consequences of a world that is not yet all accepting. Her prose is deft and delicate, pulling you quickly in and holding you, as though you were living it.” —JJ Bola, author of The Selfless Act of Breathing

“This debut is short, tender, and heartbreaking, perfect for fans of The Death of Vivek Oji and This Is How You Lose the Time War.” —Marissa Higgins, Literary Hub

“A tender, moving portrait of forbidden desire. In deft, clear prose, Xaviere presents us with the devastating and yet redemptive power of love.” —Chukwuebuka Ibeh, author of Blessings

“An urgent and devastating story about the cost of living in a place that refuses to recognize your humanity. With vivid and textured prose, Xaviere weaves a tale readers will not soon forget.” —Soon Wiley, author of When We Fell Apart

“Xaviere’s debut novel evokes intimacy, apprehension, and suspense to deliver a portrayal of sorrow—specifically, the pain of being queer in an unaccepting society—that feels wholeheartedly real, as if reading a friend’s diary . . . Deeply tragic, Xaviere’s novel stands as a literary testimony to injustice, corruption, and violence—all for the preservation of love.” —Booklist

Shop These Letters End in Tears in the UK from Jacaranda Books, Bookshop.org, Libreria, Gay's the Word, West End Lane books and everywhere books are sold!