Tearless (Paperback or Softback)

TEARLESS is a deeply compelling portrait of twenty-four-year-old Lami’s self-discovery and emotional coming-of-age. It is also a passionate and unflinching tale of interracial love.

It weaves together two narrative threads that tend to themes of love, loss, fatherlessness and identity with grace and confidence.

TEARLESS follows the journey of Lami Davies who struggles to reunite her separated siblings and rise above her trauma.

Lami is obsessed with finding her little sister whom she lost touch with at the age of twelve after her mother's passing. Her abusive father, in a heart-wrenching act, separated the children, placing them in the care of different relatives. The youngest, Tutu, was sent to live with a distant aunt in England. In her quest to reunite her family, we see how Lami's childhood experiences influence her interactions as an adult. Her story will offer hope to all readers who are battling to let go of past trauma in order to prevent it from spilling into the present and the future.

Ayo Deforge does an exceptional job in exploring thetheme of grief, offering a powerful and nuanced portrayal of its ability to fracture a family. Tearless evokes a profound yearning to repair shattered connections, leaving readers deeply moved.

Othuke Ominiabohs, author of A Conspiracy of Ravens.

Ayo Deforge takes the reader on an emotionally-charged journey in Tearless. The story does not only drag you in and hold you captive until the last full-stop, but it also asks questions of your feelings, your compassion, your humanity, such that long after you’re done reading, you’re still carrying the main character in your heart and wondering about her.

Ibrahim Babátúndé Ibrahim, winner of the Quramo Writer’s Prize 2022.

Tearless is graceful, colourful and memorable. It effortlessly brings to life Lami's person: her fear, laughter, joy and love. In Tearless, characters sneak up on you, so by the time you're done reading, it's more than just a book or characters. It becomes personal and you begin to think about the people you met in the book.

Deborah Oluniran Adeniyi, writer and editor.

The characters in Ayo Deforge’s rich episodic novel bring to life a melting pot of metropolitan cultures as their story travels between Lagos and Paris, past and present, young and old, traditional and trendy. The author’s fresh and lively take on the human condition invites us to plunge into a world that will be new to many, yet, Tearless transcends its unique mise en scene to remind us of the universal joys of friendship, the importance of family and the redemptive power of love.

Geoff Mead, author of Coming Home to Story: Storytelling Beyond Happily Ever After.

With Tearless, Ayo proves she has a full grasp of human experiences. She weaves this story with beautiful and smooth language.

Chukwuemeka Famous, author of We Will Live Again.

In Tearless, Ayo Deforge reveals the sad truth of the World Health Organization's (WHO) 2022 data on child abuse.

Through Lami Davis' compelling story, the author reveals these startling statistics: "Nearly 3 in 4 children - or 300 million children - aged 2–4 years regularly suffer physical punishment and/or psychological violence at the hands of parents and caregivers".

Lami bravely shares her traumatic experience with her abusive father and explores the profound impact it had on her life and the lives of her siblings. This compelling book confronts the quiet echoes of a pervasive problem and challenges readers to confront and address the hidden struggles of so many.

Oyin Olugbile, author of SANYA