The novel was developed due to 2014 kidnaping of 276 Chibok school girls from age 16 to 18 by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram.

[1][2][3][4][5] The Guardian described the book as "short and powerful" and that it is "A memorable portrait of individual resilience in a divided, strife-torn nation.

"[6] Jenny Rogers of The Washington Post described it as a "compelling portrait of a troubled land.

"[8] Zaynab Alkali writing for The Guardian Nigeria described the novel as "a narration that carries us along a torturous path of sheer terror.

"[9] Patrick Heardman of Financial Times reviewed that the novel "is a fascinating portrait of a community stricken by tragedy and ill-served by successive governments in Abuja.