Tomorrow Died Yesterday by Chimeka Garricks; A Story That Hits Too Close to Home. 

By A book Review by Paschaline Ugwuoke

If you ever want a book that makes you laugh, ache, and question what it means to be Nigerian all in one sitting then Tomorrow Died Yesterday by Chimeka Garricks is your next emotional rollercoaster.

At first glance, it looks like just another story about old friends, but it’s much more than that. It’s about friendship, forgiveness, guilt, oil politics, and how the choices we make (or don’t make) can haunt us for a lifetime. Garricks drags you into the murky waters of the Niger Delta literally and figuratively and you come out a little heavier, but wiser.

+The Story

The novel follows four childhood friends; Doye, Amaibi, Kaniye, and Tubo, who grow up in the oil-rich but crisis-ridden Niger Delta. Life happens, as it usually does, and they drift apart until tragedy pulls them back together. Each man represents a face of Nigeria: the activist, the idealist, the opportunist, and the one just trying to survive. Their reunion forces them to confront not just each other but their own guilt and complicity in the mess around them.

Garricks paints their journey with such vivid emotion that the oil spills and broken dreams of their homeland start to feel like metaphors for the nation itself: beautiful, blessed, and bleeding.

+The Themes

Tomorrow Died Yesterday is a sharp reminder that corruption isn’t just in politics; it’s in us. It’s in our silence, our excuses, and our comfort with things “as they are.” Garricks doesn’t preach; he tells stories that sting. He writes about loyalty, betrayal, and the unending tension between doing right and doing easy.

At first, the title might sound poetic, Tomorrow Died Yesterday. But when you read deeper, it becomes prophecy. The “tomorrow” here represents hope , our “echi” , our collective belief that things can get better. Garricks’ story asks a simple but haunting question: what happens when hope itself dies?

One of the most striking themes is complicity.How silence and comfort often make us part of the problem. How privilege has blinded most of us. Garricks subtly exposes the many small ways we betray our ideals, how survival can sometimes become an excuse for surrender.

It’s not just a story about four men. It’s a story about us, about Nigeria.

The title itself says it all-it’s poetic, tragic, and true. In Nigeria, tomorrow has indeed been dying slowly, day after day, from neglect and greed.

+The Writing Style

The author uses simple language, which is very easy to understand. Chimeka writes like a man who knows pain but still believes in laughter. His prose flows like conversation, funny one minute, heartbreaking the next. He switches between flashbacks and present-day scenes so smoothly that you barely notice you’ve jumped ten years ahead. The dialogue feels real, the emotions raw. And the Pidgin English? Perfect seasoning , just enough to make it feel authentic without confusing readers. Nna person need that kind talk from time to time make him no go crase. 

He also handles time beautifully. The book moves between past and present without losing clarity. Each flashback peels another layer off the characters’ hearts, revealing the innocence of their childhood and the hard choices of their adulthood.

And oh, the emotional depth! Garricks writes about men in a way that breaks stereotypes. He shows them as complex, vulnerable yet proud, guilty yet human. That’s rare in Nigerian fiction, and it’s part of what makes this book unforgettable.

+My Take

Reading Tomorrow Died Yesterday felt like walking through a familiar street after years away. It felt like watching a mirror crack, beautiful, painful, and impossible to look away from. Every character felt like someone I know: the friend who means well but gets tired, the activist who burns out, the one who just wants peace even if it means compromise.

What makes Tomorrow Died Yesterday powerful isn’t just its plot, but its truth. You see fragments of yourself, your friends, or even your family in these characters.People trying to do right in a world that rewards wrong. Their laughter feels familiar. Their pain, too.

There are many Nigerian novels about corruption, friendship, and loss but few combine them with as much heart and honesty as this one. Chimeka Garricks proves that storytelling can be both entertaining and deeply political without losing its soul.

This isn’t a happy book, but it’s a necessary one. It reminds us that the oil in the Niger Delta may be black, but the moral questions surrounding it are never just black and white. There are books that entertain you, and there are books that quietly rearrange something inside you. Tomorrow Died Yesterday by Chimeka Garricks does both; it pulls you in with laughter and friendship, then breaks your heart with truth. It’s the kind of story that doesn’t just end when you close the last page; it lingers, whispering uncomfortable questions about who we are, what we’ve become, and how much we’ve looked away.

When I closed the book, I didn’t just feel sad. I felt seen. I felt called out. And I felt, strangely, hopeful, I picked up my phone and called a friend. I laid out my chest, because it felt heavy. Chimeka had gotten me. because if tomorrow died yesterday, maybe today can still be saved.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely , but only if you’re ready for some soul searching. Tomorrow Died Yesterday is not just a novel; it’s a confession we all need hear. But don’t read it in a hurry. Sit with it. Let it breathe. Let it question you.

+Why You Should Read It

Because it’s real.

Because it’s ours.

Because it’s one of those rare Nigerian novels that balance depth with readability serious themes written in a voice that feels close to home.

In a time when hope feels fragile, Tomorrow Died Yesterday tells us that it’s okay to grieve what’s lost, but it’s dangerous to stop believing in what could be found again.

It’s not a happy story, but it’s an honest one. And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.