Q&A: Nuzo Onoh, Author of ‘Futility’

We chat with author Nuzo Onoh about Futility, which is a monstrous, gleeful, bitingly funny tale of murder, body-swapping and bloody vengeance from the recipient of the Bram Stoker Award ® for Lifetime Achievement and ‘Queen of African Horror’.

Hi, Nuzo! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself

Hello! I’m Nuzo Onoh and I’m a woman. I was almost born as a male, but alas, the letter sent to the pope by my mum, asking for special Vatican prayers for a male child whilst she was pregnant with me, somehow got lost en-route. She suspected malice by the messenger. Consequently, I changed back into a girl in her womb, even though I’d started off as a boy. This is the story of my existence. From childhood, I heard of this foetus-metamorphosis from my mum, especially whenever she tried to explain my tomboy ways and unlady-like rebellious tendencies. Little wonder I’m very superstitious and write African speculative fiction laden with superstitions and lore. I always had cats which a lot of my African relatives and friends avoided…surprise, surprise! My last cat, Tinkerbell, left me a couple years ago after almost eighteen years of happy togetherness. What a girl! What a predator! No spider, insect or bird survived her deadly claws! Still miss her to death. Otherwise, I’m what you might call a happy hermitress. Love my own company to bits. You’ll find me living alone here in the UK, chatting to Yoko, my kitchen plant, who’s almost twenty years old and can actually whistle when she’s thirsty…I’m not making this up. First time she whistled, I thought I was being haunted till I googled and found some plants do emit sounds when they’re stressed! Now you know. When not writing or emailing/zooming, I’m usually at the cinema or theatre, at home knitting patchwork blankets whilst dancing, croaking along to my guitar or piano playing, bingeing on K-drama, listening to K-indie pop and J-city pop, reading, chatting on phone/WhatsApp or taking gentle strolls. I hate cooking and burn everything, but I love good food, especially meat dishes and homemade cakes…heaven!

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I was already listening and loving the endless stories and folklore my late mum told me from childhood. The Tales by Moonlight sessions during the Biafran war intensified my addiction. Writing stories came almost naturally at around 11 to 12 years old, although I never took it seriously until I had an epiphany at almost 50 years old and returned to university to study a masters in creative writing.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley
• The one that made you want to become an author: The Palm-Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

Your latest novel, Futility, is out October 21^st! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Desire, rage, revenge, chaos, karma.

What can readers expect?

Some early reviewers have called Futility bloody, unhinged, outrageous, bat-shit crazy, darkly funny, bonkers, a roller-coaster, visercal, voyeuristic, wild and fun. As one reviewer said, “This book made me laugh nonstop with its quirky, unforgettable characters and clever humor. A fun, lighthearted read! Would recommend”. I hope my readers have the same light-hearted experience reading this book; unless they hate swearing and bloody revenge, that is.

Where did the inspiration for Futility come from?

The title came from a random conversation with my sister. She said the word, “futility” and I said to her, “Thank you for giving me the title for my next novel.” I had no idea what I was going to write at the time. I thought I might explore the harsh treatment of people with disabilities and mental health challenges in African societies. I actually started writing about the young man, Zeuwa, when, as always happens with my writing, Chia and Claire entered the story with their malice and madness.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

Chia was my favourite character and each time she brought herself into the story, I always thought of the phrase, “Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.” She was so stupidly malevolent that she was almost a caricature in her grotesque and diabolical devilry. Exploring her convoluted thought processes and tunnel-vision quest for vengeance made the writing a real joy.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Unlike other books that usually take me between six and twelve months to complete, I wrote Futility in under three months. That was how much fun I had writing it. I struggle in my daily life with lalochezia and this book gave me a free rein to just let loose with the swearing under the safety of the horror fiction umbrella. Little wonder I dedicated it to me! Otherwise, the main challenge was writing about the acid-attack. As an acid attack victim, it ressurected some unpleasant memories. But it was the route my character was insisting on taking me. Readers will soon discover that my MC, Chia, isn’t one to spray graffiti on her enemy when there’s a worse paint to use. So, I just rushed through that segment and watched a light K-drama immediately afterwards to destress, before listening to more J-city pop & K-indie pop music for equilibrium restoration 🙂

What’s next for you?

I’m currently working on a new horror novel in between practicing my k-pop dance steps and making a hash of things. But, hey-ho!

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?

1. Bitter Honeymoon by Alberto Moravia
2. Silk & Sinew: A Collection of Folk Horror From the Asian Diaspora edited by Kristy Park Kulski
3. The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
4. The Secret Lives of The Dead by Tim Lebbon
5. The Rendezvous by Daphne du Maurier
6. A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro (re-read)
7. The Essential Kafka by Franz Kafka (re-read)

Looking forward to re-reading Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield, The Godfather by Mario Puzo, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and some Yoko Ogawa; more Franz Kafka and Ivan Turgenev stories too. Possibly, The Adventurers by Harold Robbins, a guilty pleasure of my teenage years. This is a period for revisiting old favourites for sweet nostalgia.

Will you be picking up Futility? Tell us in the comments below!