Here Again Now Synopsis
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.
About This Edition
Okechukwu Nzelu Press Reviews
'A beautiful exploration of grief and family. Through exquisite prose, Okechukwu Nzelu delves into the lives of the complicated men at the centre of this story with compassion and tenderness. A lyrical and insightful novel.' -- Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half
'Here Again Now is a novel of great tenderness and understanding. Okechukwu Nzelu's words feel both wise and fresh on the page.' -- Elizabeth Day
'A truly stunning love story. Heavy themes captured with grace and lightness. Tender, erotic, a total pleasure to read. Preorder and be smug when it wins all the awards. -- Daisy Buchanan One to watch next year' - Stylist
'A deeply intimate novel. Nzelu's incisive style probes beneath his characters' layers to expose vulnerability, joy, and love. This is a work of aching possibilities, unearthed warmth between distant bodies, the blurred limits that masculinity sometimes affords. Such emotional truths can be troubling to witness, although rich with the weight of their honesty. Here Again Now is a revelation.' -- Courttia Newland
'Nzelu has written a tender and probing book. I've not read anything like it and its impact will be far reaching. Baldwin-esque and honest, pulsing with love. I honestly believe Nzelu is the future of Black British writing' -- Derek Owusu
'In Here Again Now, Nzelu brings verve and radiant detail' - Guardian
'Love in its many forms, the limitations of gender norms, art and addiction are just a handful of the themes explored . . . thought provoking . . . aims to shed a new light on emotional intimacy and queerness.' - Big Issue
'Nzelu is an insightful writer whose prose is deep and philosophical . . . plenty to admire and analyse' - Irish Times
Like its central characters, Okechukwu Nzelu's second novel is thoughtful - New Statesman
'Memorably intense . . . Nzelu circles and returns to key themes: love, grief, masculinity, fatherhood and shelter (both literal and metaphorical). . . it's heartbreakingly sad.' - Daily Mail
'Nzelu's novel is exactly what UK literary canon needs right now. Gripping, tender but sharp - and a story of a romance I've always wanted to see written in books -- Travis Alabanza This book is incredible because it focuses on relationships between a father and son and also on mental health, how our past traumas can manifest and interrupt our present and also how we can break cycles, rebuild and ultimately do better, be better.' - Evening Standard
'The powerful narrative is both domestic and deeply profound, and the themes of loss, fatherhood and gay love in a British-Nigerian world are enlightening and moving.' -- Paterson Joseph - Daily Mail
'It's about the love that finds no voice - and it's exceptionally poignant on the complexity of the relationship between fathers and sons, especially when they are divided not just by age but also by culture, too. For all that, it's the attempts of its protagonists to bridge those gaps that make it unique and ultimately hopeful.' -- Rachel Joyce
