Publication Date: October 6, 2026
From the New York Times bestselling author of Behold the Dreamers and How Beautiful We Were, a captivating novel about love lost-and the weight of regret
What if I’d never gotten into that car? What if I’d pulled out of the driveway five minutes earlier, or ten minutes later?
Three years ago, Wolo’s wife was killed in a tragic car accident. In an instant, the great love of his life was gone, and so was their beautiful future. In the face of a loss that seemed insurmountable, Wolo has slowly rebuilt a semblance of a life: he goes to work, hangs out with a small circle of friends, and fends off the matchmaking efforts of the older women in his family. The grief that dogged him has, with time, become a little gentler.
Until a letter arrives one day, unbidden, threatening to upend his life once again. It is from Victoria, the woman who was behind the wheel that terrible day. Wolo’s family pastor tells him the letter is the work of the devil; his mother expressly forbids him from making further mention of it; his father’s second wife calls, from Cameroon, to tell him to destroy it. But Wolo ponders it for days, and ultimately agrees to meet with the woman who killed his wife. When he does, the compassion and deep remorse of the woman affects him in ways he had never imagined, and he begins to wonder if the long road to healing can be shared.
What do we owe to those who have hurt us? Are we defined by our worst moments and our deepest regrets? And, more than anything, can forgiveness ease our suffering? Moving and full of life, Every Story Is a Love Story charts the uneven path from heartbreak to healing.
Imbolo Mbue’s Every Story is a Love Story is filled with grief and forgiveness.
When Victoria writes a letter to Wolo asking to meet with him and apologizing for killing his wife and two unborn children in a car accident three years earlier, his family, friends, and many others want him to ignore it and not offer forgiveness. I agree with them since it seems she wants peace to assuage her own guilt, and it was difficult to fathom why she wrote it and what she expected the outcome to be. It seemed to be all about her. But ultimately, Victoria needs and wants forgiveness, saying their hearts will forever be linked because of the tragedy.
Wolo has his own ideas of what to do, which doesn’t sit well with the others. His family members, along with many others, have strong reactions. Their circle and community are immigrants from Cameroon, and we learn about their culture throughout. Their continued correspondence and meetups seem like a punishment for him, while she always seems to want to do things for him, as if it would grant her the peace she’s hoping for. It was hard to believe they stayed connected, and attending a forgiveness workshop together felt surreal.
The story starts off slowly, and it took me a while to get into it because of the number of characters, many of whom seemed superfluous. Many stories are told, but several don’t sit well and detract from the story instead of enhancing it. The book includes reminiscences and throwbacks to his and his wife’s lives, including how they met. We go back and forth between the past and the present again and again. There is violence in different ways that was difficult to get through. When they started a relationship, it was hard to grasp. The story has surprises and secrets.
Wolo’s stories about his wife and his future offer some closure, but an epilogue would have been nice.
Every Story is a Love Story is filled with guilt and forgiveness, but also second chances if you open your heart.
Imbolo Mbue is a native of Limbe, Cameroon. She holds a B.S. from Rutgers University and an M.A. from Columbia University. A resident of the United States for over a decade, she lives in New York City.
