Okechukwu Nzelu

SHORTLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2020 'A magnificent novel, full of wit, warmth and tenderness' Andrew McMillan 'Smart, serious and entertaining' Bernardine Evaristo How do you begin to find yourself when you only know half of who you are? As Nnenna Maloney approaches womanhood she longs to connect with her Igbo-Nigerian culture. Her once close and tender relationship with her mother, Joanie, becomes strained as Nnenna begins to ask probing questions about her father, who Joanie refuses to discuss. Nnenna is asking big questions of how to 'be' when she doesn't know the whole of who she is. Meanwhile, Joanie wonders how to love when she has never truly been loved. Their lives are filled with a cast of characters asking similar questions about identity and belonging whilst grappling with the often hilarious encounters of everyday Manchester. Okechukwu Nzelu brings us a funny and heart-warming story that covers the expanse of race, gender, class, family and redemption, with a fresh and distinctive new voice. Perfect for fans of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams and Zadie Smith's White Teeth. 'Effortlessly capture[s] the tricky nuance of life, love, race, sexuality and familial relationships' Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie 'Edifying and hilarious, The Private of Joys of Nnenna Maloney is a beautiful debut that you won't want to put down' Derek Owusu

The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney

Here Again Now

A novel about lovers, fathers and sons. About vulnerability, losses, love and regrets.Achike Okoro is an up-and-coming actor, soon to star in the career-making film 'Here Again Now.' His friend Ekene is lost, moving from one unfulfilling relationship to another, estranged from his family and recently made redundant from his job as a drama teacher.A few years ago, their lives had been on similar trajectories: both of them young, both Nigerian-British, both gay, and both living in Manchester. Ekene and Achike have always been more than just friends and now it feels like they are on the cusp of fully admitting that to one another. But beneath the fa ade of success, Achike is someone who is confused by affection and how to receive it. He expresses his love in acts of martyrdom, and it is this that causes him to take in his father, Chibuike, who relies on drink to numb his failure to connect with everyone in his life.With the three of them living together in Achike's house, it is Ekene and Chibuike who will come together in the aftermath of a devastating event to try and make sense of the complexity of these relationships.Here Again Now is set primarily in Peckham, London, but reaches across to Manchester, Berlin and Nigeria. Nzelu brings us a quietly devastating second novel, using boldly lyrical prose to explore masculinity, grief and love.

'A beautiful exploration of grief and family, written in exquisite prose and told with compassion and tenderness.' Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half 'Tender and honest, pulsing with love. Nzelu is the future of Black British writing.' Derek Owusu, author of That Reminds Me From award-winning author Okechukwu Nzelu comes a spellbinding literary novel that asks, how do you move forward when the past keeps pulling you back? Achike Okoro feels like his life is coming together at last. His top-floor flat in Peckham is as close to home as he can imagine and after years of hard work, he's about to get his break as an actor. He's even persuaded his father, Chibuike, to move in with him, grateful to offer the man who raised him as a single parent a home of his own. Between filming trips, Achike is snatching a few days in London with Ekene, his best friend of twenty years, the person who makes him feel whole. Achike can put the terrible things that happened behind him at last; everything is going to be alright. Maybe even better. But after a magical night, when Achike and Ekene come within a hair's breadth of admitting their feelings for each other, a devastating event rips all three men apart. In the aftermath, it is Ekene and Chibuike who must try to rebuild. And although they have never truly understood each other, grief may bring them both the peace and happiness they've been searching for... A heartbreaking and immensely uplifting novel about lovers, fathers and sons. If you love The Vanishing Half, Shuggie Bain or Moonlight then you'll adore this this incredibly moving book that shows the power of family - both the one into which we are born and those we choose for ourselves. What readers are saying about Here Again Now: 'A deeply intimate novel. Nzelu's incisive style probes beneath his characters' layers to expose vulnerability, joy, and love... Here Again Now is a revelation.' Courttia Newland 'I loved these heartbreaking characters, their flaws were never glossed over in Nzelu's work, and their humanity shines out all the brighter for that. I cannot recommend this novel enough.' Paterson Joseph 'Okechukwu Nzelu is truly coming into his power as a novelist. It's a beautiful and memorable book. Watch him soar.' Niven Govinden 'WOW, Nzelu is a BEAUTIFUL writer. A truly stunning love story. Heavy themes captured with grace and lightness. Tender, erotic, a total pleasure to read. Pre-order and be smug when it wins all the awards.' Daisy Buchanan 'His most assured, daring work. Telling a riveting and heartbreaking tale... A gloriously moving book which willsurely collect every award going.' Harper's Bazaar 'A novel of great tenderness and understanding. Nzelu's words feel both wise and fresh on the page.' Elizabeth Day 'An elegiac take on the unpredictabilities of the heart and a love that survives loss.' Paul Mendez 'A book so beautiful, it makes your heart ache on every page. Utterly brilliant, I loved it.' Julie Owen Moylan 'One to watch next year.' Stylist 'A powerful and heartbreaking novel; Okechukwu Nzelu is a vital voice.' Andrew McMillan 'Nzelu confirms his place as one of the most exciting and versatile writers of his generation.' Angela Chadwick 'A transgenerational story of grief as tender, potent and nimble as love.' Kit Fan

Okechukwu Nzelu

About

Books

Join the club