Afam and Nkechi Emecheta have been married for over a decade. They are planning to go on holiday with their three sons when disaster strikes. Afam is killed in a road traffic accident throwing Nkechi into early widowhood and grief that she is unprepared for. Nkechi expects her husband's family to share in her grief, but they are more interested in a share of his property- A Rude Awakening. The need to be strong and present for her children keeps her going. For twelve years, no member of the Emecheta family has reached out to Nkechi and the children. The only person she has a desire to talk to is her mother-in-law- Mama Omalicha. She reunites with the family reluctantly at Mama Omalicha's burial. Rude Awakening is a story about betrayal, forgiveness, friendship and love.