ABUJA, Nigeria — A debut novel by Nigerian lawyer and writer Pearl Ehigimetor was formally introduced to readers during a virtual launch on Sunday, February 8, 2026, marking the completion of a project that spanned nearly a decade from conception to publication.
The book, titled When Tomorrow Found Us, centres on the lives of four young women navigating personal and professional challenges while sustaining one another through friendship and shared faith.
Four Women at Different Crossroads
The novel follows Ese, Sewa, Freke and Felicity, each confronting distinct circumstances. Ese, an engineer, grapples with abandonment by her father and an unexpected legacy. Sewa, a lawyer, struggles with undisclosed aspects of her past that threaten her reputation and future.
Freke faces an unplanned pregnancy and the responsibilities of single motherhood within what is described as an unfair family setting. Felicity encounters workplace harassment and power exploitation in her office environment.
Despite their individual difficulties, the characters remain closely connected, offering mutual support as they pursue personal stability and hope.
When Tomorrow Found Us is a 270-page work of fiction that employs flashbacks to link past experiences with present realities and future expectations. The subtitle, “…she smiled on us,” presents “tomorrow” as a feminine figure, reinforcing the book’s focus on women’s experiences and resilience.
According to information provided by the author, the novel reflects female friendship as a source of emotional strength across different stages of life.
A Project Years in the Making
Ehigimetor described the writing process as lengthy and demanding. “This book took the whole of the last five years to complete, however, the starting point was actually in the year 2016,” she said.
The project faced several setbacks, including misplaced manuscript chapters and the need to restart portions of the work in September 2025, near the end of the writing process. Despite these challenges, the author completed the manuscript and prepared it for publication.
She has also said the book was motivated by “literary excitement and the ability to put words together” and by a desire to inspire and encourage readers.
Ehigimetor comes from a family in which both parents are authors, and she has described the publication of her first book as a continuation of that tradition.
Following its virtual launch on Zoom at 7 p.m. West Africa Time, the book became available for purchase on Selar and Amazon.
Orders can be placed through bit.ly/whentomorrowfoundus. The author can be contacted via [email protected] or by telephone on 08136141666 and 08064305645.
