The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Solomon, Asali. The Days of Afrekete. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021.

Asali Solomon's novel The Days of Afrekete is written from the third person point of view and in the past tense. The novel employs an untraditional narrative structure which toys with conventional notions of plot and linearity. The following summary primarily relies upon the present tense and a linear mode of explanation.

Not long after Liselle starts college at Bryn Mawr, she has a sexual awakening. Over the course of the following years, she sleeps with many different women, and grows more comfortable with her sexuality and identity. She feels that she has a name and a reputation at the school worth protecting. In her senior year, Liselle signs up for the Writing a Way from No Way course. On the first day of class, she realizes that she is the only other Black woman in the room besides the professor. She is surprised when another young Black woman enters the classroom late. Liselle is immediately intrigued. After class, as she moves to approach the student, she trips.

The new freshman girl is named Selena. She graciously asks Liselle if she is okay and walks her to the infirmary. Because the young women get along so well, they skip seeing the doctor and go straight to Liselle's room. They spend the entire weekend talking and having sex. Though Liselle is excited about her new lover, she also fears that their quick intimacy might have given Selena the wrong idea.

Liselle and Selena keep dating for the next several months. They both feel transformed by the other. They feel seen, heard, and understood. Despite these positive aspects of their dynamic, tension soon builds between them. When they cannot resolve their arguments, they break up.

Decades later, Liselle and Selena continue thinking about one another. Over the years they have only encountered one another a handful of times. Liselle often worries about Selena. Selena has a history of depression and anxiety and has been hospitalized several times. Selena sometimes buries her memories of Liselle because they cause her pain. At other times, she clings to these memories because they sustain her.

In the narrative present, Liselle is married to a lawyer and aspiring politician named Winn. Though marrying a white man was never what she expected for her life, she also knows she has little to complain about. She also has a wonderful son, Patrice, whom she loves and wants to protect.

On the night of Liselle and Winn's dinner party, an FBI agent calls Liselle to warn her that Winn is being indicted for corruption. Frantic, Liselle calls her mother. Despite her pleas for advice and comfort, her mother offers no help. Liselle hangs up and impulsively calls Selena.

When Selena gets home from work, her mother tells her she has a message from Liselle. Selena can hardly believe it. She wonders if all her thoughts about Liselle have brought her back into her life.

By the end of the night, Selena decides she must travel to Liselle's home in Mt. Airy, Philadelphia in order to see what her friend needs. Believing that the knock at the door is the FBI agents coming to take Winn away, Liselle ignores it. One of the guests opens the door and leads Selena into the party.