"This story must be told:" unveiling environmental and social tapestry in Imbolo Mbue's How Beautiful We Were

This article examines Imbolo Mbue's *How Beautiful We Were* through the lens of ecocriticism and narratology, focusing on the scant critical attention given to the portrayal of oil culture in the context of climate change. The novel critiques the environmental, social, and epistemic injustices inflicted upon the Kosawa people by corporate greed and governmental corruption. Employing eco-narratology, the article analyzes Mbue's narrative techniques to reveal how the story reflects and critiques environmental injustices while advocating for collective resistance. The analysis incorporates concepts like chronotope, memory, and environmental justice to enhance understanding of contemporary petroculture and advocate for a shift towards ecological responsibility.

Roopalakshmi Velu, Rajasekaran V