What We Thought We Lost is a deeply reflective coming-of-age story set in Ibadan, where seventeen-year-old Malik stumbles upon a mysterious notebook that seems to understand him better than he understands himself. What begins as a simple discovery soon leads him down a quiet, unsettling path into hidden spaces, unspoken truths, and the emotional distance growing within his own family.
As Malik uncovers more notebooks and follows their guidance, he is forced to confront what he has been avoiding, including his father’s quiet withdrawal, his mother’s silent resilience, and his own habit of observing life instead of truly living it. Through introspection, difficult conversations, and moments of uncomfortable clarity, he learns that not all losses are about what disappears. Some are about what we fail to face.
