The Lie I Bought: Nigerian Author Roseline Adidi Challenges Readers to Question the Stories They Believe
By Temidayo Anthony
Nigerian author and communications professional, Roseline Adidi, has launched her debut poetry collection, “The Lie I Bought” a reflective body of work that challenges readers to question the beliefs and narratives they have accepted about themselves, success, love, identity and self-worth. The book, which explores themes of love, heartbreak, healing, belonging and personal growth, is built around a central question: what if some of the truths people believe about themselves are actually stories they have never stopped to examine?
According to Adidi, many people grow up with expectations that success must come at a particular age, that love should never hurt, or that being single represents failure. She argues that such beliefs can quietly influence life choices and shape how individuals perceive their worth.
Adidi said the collection was inspired by years of personal reflection as she navigated growth, career transitions and the experience of building a new chapter of her life away from home. For the author, writing became a means of processing questions around identity, belonging and the narratives people carry throughout their lives. “Sometimes we live according to stories we never stopped to question,” Adidi said, explaining that the book became her way of examining whether those stories were still serving her and identifying the truths she was ready to embrace.
Author Roseline Adidi
A communications professional with a Master’s degree in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from Kingston University London, Adidi has long been interested in the power of storytelling to connect people and influence conversations. She describes poetry as her most intimate form of expression, providing an avenue to articulate emotions and experiences that can often be difficult to put into words.
Rather than presenting readers with simple solutions, The Lie I Bought encourages honest conversations about the beliefs people inherit, adopt and sometimes spend years trying to unlearn. The author noted that the book’s themes resonate particularly with young Africans navigating identity and expectations in an increasingly connected world, where questions surrounding career achievement, marriage, purpose, belonging and self-worth continue to shape personal decisions.
At a time when conversations around mental well-being, identity and self-discovery are becoming increasingly prominent, the collection provides an opportunity for readers to pause and reflect on the stories they have carried, sometimes without recognising their influence. Adidi said she did not write the book because she had all the answers, but because she continued to ask questions.
She expressed hope that readers would find aspects of their own experiences within the poems and discover language for emotions they may have struggled to express. Beyond the book, Adidi is also extending its themes into public conversations through a series of online monologues. She also plans to host a virtual event, “Beyond the Pages: An Evening of Poetry & Conversation,” where readers will listen to selected poems, explore their meanings and engage directly with the author.
Ultimately, The Lie I Bought is positioned not simply as a collection of poems, but as an invitation to self-examination, questioning and personal liberation. The book is available worldwide through Amazon and to readers in Nigeria via Selar. Adidi’s central message is perhaps best captured in the idea that becoming who we truly are may first require us to unlearn who we once believed we were expected to be.
