‘There’s a piece of me in every story I write’

‘Thread of Gold Beads’ was a massive historical novel. Your new one is a collection of short stories set in contemporary times. Why the shift? I wanted to try something new.  I like to challenge myself and decided to go for it. I also wanted to lend my voice to the issues we’re facing in […]

‘Thread of Gold Beads’ was a massive historical novel. Your new one is a collection of short stories set in contemporary times. Why the shift?
I wanted to try something new.  I like to challenge myself and decided to go for it. I also wanted to lend my voice to the issues we’re facing in these times. Storytelling is the way I know how best to do that.

What was it about short stories that enthralled you enough to write this collection?
I had been reading a bunch of short story collections prior to writing. I was taken by how one is limited to writing fewer words while at the same time creating such impact. A lot of effort is put into being deliberate with every word. It takes discipline and really is an art.

The stories in this collection aim for the shock ending. The style is very different from ‘Thread of Gold Beads;’ What would you say influenced this collection the most?
‘Bury Me Come Sunday Afternoon’ is contemporary suspense fiction.  Life itself influenced the collection. I’ve observed the goings-on in society and many are shocking – the unfortunate trend in fatal domestic violence incidents, stigmatization of those dealing with mental illness, mental disorders, the societal standards we all have to meet up to or risk falling off the high horses we’ve been placed on.  I use these stories to provoke us to thinking – who set these standards anyway?  Why must we live up to them?  Why can’t we live our lives being at peace with who we are?

You mentioned that one of the stories, ‘Losing My Religion’ is drawn from your experiences while growing up in Nigeria. To what extent did your reality influence the stories in this collection?
There’s a little piece of me or someone else in every story.  Growing up, I attended several churches. Particularly in the early 90’s the Pentecostal wave had really just swept over Nigeria.  Many were doing away with the old ways; orthodox Christians were turning to Pentecostal, which in itself is not bad, but when fanaticism becomes a way of life, then there’s a problem.  We must be careful not to worship the man of God but God Himself.  ‘Losing My Religion’ takes the reader into the topsy-turvy life of a teenage boy whose family is swept along by this wave of religiosity which is impacting their lives and especially this young boy’s.

Was there a specific reason you chose to have 10 stories in the collection? Was there something specific about the choice of stories that went into the collection?
I had more than 10 stories initially. These 10 were selected because they were effective in communicating what I wanted to say. They were personable. Readers can relate, they may even say the characters are similar to someone they know.  I wrote the stories as true to life as I could. The emotions are raw and the situations are very likely.

Deception is a common theme in the collection, people are not who they say they are or mean something different from what they say. Was this something you deliberately wanted to highlight?
Yes it was.  The main characters in ‘Bury me Come Sunday Afternoon’ are the villains in the stories.  They take actions that may initially seem vindictive or self-harming. I intentionally wrote from their points of view to make the point that there are always underlining reasons for every action and nothing is always as it seems. We have to take the time to get to know and understand people before we draw conclusions. 

There are also immigrant concerns highlighted in some of the stories. How important was it for you as a writer living outside Nigeria to document these things that immigrants go through?
It was important that I did because I still get that feeling or response when I go home that immigrants are having a ball in the Diaspora.  It is hard, especially the first few years of trying to find one’s feet.  Surviving in a foreign land with pressure from family and friends expecting only the best, not caring about how it’s gotten or how one survives cannot really be described unless one experiences it.  I wanted to shed some light on these struggles.

In terms of short stories, what writers have been your biggest influences?
I enjoyed Uwem Akpan’s ‘Say You’re One Of Them,’ and those stories stayed with me.  Saadat Hasan Manto writes great short stories too. 

What is the most important thing you hope readers will take away from this book?
Life is hard enough as it is. When we have an opportunity to be kind to others, let’s be.  We never know what people are going through, so let’s give each other the benefit of the doubt and be more understanding.