Halloween is less than two weeks away and we're celebrating everything that comes with it; vampires, jack-o-lanterns, werewolves, movie marathons, and vengeful spirits. But no spirit will match the vengeance of Chia and Claire; the main characters in Nuzo Onoh's upcoming novel Futility.
Futility’s official description from Titan Books reads;
Betrayed by the men in their lives, two women seethe with rage and bitterness. When a trickster spirit offers them the gift of revenge, they cannot resist. Chia runs one of the best restaurants in Abuja, Nigeria, and is renowned among the male clientele for her captivating beauty and delicious hot pepper soup. But her hot pepper soup has a secret ingredient, and her beauty is not what it seems.
Chia runs one of the best restaurants in Abuja, Nigeria, and is renowned among the male clientele for her captivating beauty and delicious hot pepper soup. But her hot pepper soup has a secret ingredient, and her beauty is not what it seems. Claire is a 50 year-old British woman living in Abuja with her young Nigerian boyfriend and his beautiful cousin, Shadé. Consumed by jealousy and resentment, Claire’s carefully organised life spirals into chaos after a night out at Chia’s infamous restaurant.
Known as the Queen of African horror, Nuzo is a trailblazer in the genre. Her work is known for utilizing magical realism and cultural aspects to tell suspenseful stories. Most of her works showcase the parallels to prejudiced societal practices. Her last novel, released in August, was The Fake Ghost.
I recently had the privilege to speak with Nuzo about Futility and what we can expect from it, as well as some details from her own life.
What inspired you to write Futility?
My sister said the word “futility” during a random conversation as we went for a drive after my birthday celebration a couple of years ago. I immediately knew that was the title for my next book. I had no idea what the book was going to be about but ended up writing the story that became Futility in all its craziness and wickedness.
You once said that your characters generally dictate the stories you write—how did Chia and Claire dictate their stories to you?
I actually didn’t start the story with the two women; rather, it was the young man, Zeuwa, whose story I thought I was going to write. Then, with insidious malignancy, these two vile women literally crashed into the narrative, jostling for dominance, their voices clamoring inside my head day and night, each determined to shriek their story to me and justify themselves and their horrendous actions. They gave me no rest and I was manic in my writing, completing the book in just three months, with hardly any redrafts. It normally takes me between nine and twelve months to write a novel; that’s how crazy working on this novel was.
In A Dance for the Dead, Dike’s ancestors were women, which I understand was a twist on Igbo tradition. Do you employ any cultural spins in Futility?
Apart from the fact that I’ve never heard of a deity of futility and a deity of bliss :) Also, I made the female incredible hulk, Obidibo, Chia’s mother, the dominant force in the household. I gave her a cowering husband who employed his fake tears and flowery words to douse her deadly fury. In the typical African family structure where the men rarely cry and hold complete dominance, the tyrant, Obidibo, was my small rebellion in the story and slight twist on the average Igbo patriarchal family dynamics.
You’ve utilized your background in a lot of your books—do you ever discover anything about yourself as you’re writing them? If so, what did you discover while writing Futility?
I’ve always known that we writers sometimes channel our own emotions into our stories, and while I generally employ the unique experiences of my African background in my works, I rarely discover anything about myself in them. This is because, I’m so focused on the stories my characters are telling me that I have little time to think about myself or how the story has affected me. However, my book, The Sleepless, was the first time I discovered that I was still carrying suppressed childhood scares from the Biafran-Nigerian civil war and my tumultuous relationship with my father. Futility was another one of those rare times.
I remember feeling the same drained and numb energy I experienced with The Sleepless after writing Futility. I realised that I was still nursing a myriad of unaddressed rage issues from numerous harrowing experiences in my adult life, particularly in relation to the life-changing acid attack that left heavy scarring on my body. Thankfully, my face and my sight were saved; but the body scars are a daily reminder of the me that once was, before the vile man carried out his mischief. I know that I became a congenital swearer from that incident, albeit, I’ve trained myself to only let loose in the safe privacy of my home, my car or anywhere I can secretly swear out my frustrations. Writing Futility ended up giving me the freedom to just vent and unshackle myself from the suppressed rage... somewhat. So, yeah, it was a really cathartic experience. Little wonder I dedicated it to myself!
You have an impressive list of titles under your belt—what will make Futility stand out to the readers?
First of all, Futility is nothing like my other African horror works, although, it has the same satirical malignancy of The Fake Ghost. So, readers used to my previous works might be thrown by this book. I think of Futility as being like Marmite; you either love it or hate it. I love it and and I hope there’ll be more readers who love it than those that hate it. Either way, they’ll get to delve into the twisted world of two truly murderous and psychopathic women whom every sane man should avoid at the risk of losing their precious crown jewels and lives!
What can we expect next from you?
My next novel, The Turning of Sally-Mae, is released by Titan Books next year, 2026. It’s the first Wild-West-African Horror fiction written and I can’t wait to unleash this truly dark story on the horror community. I also have a novella collection, The Ghosts In The Moon, also due for publication by Titan Books. Otherwise, I’ve written several other books now out on submission with my agent. So, touch wood, I might soon have some good news to share. Until then, I’m thanking all my readers in advance for giving Futility a go and hoping this Marmite book tastes nice for them :)
Futility will be released in the US on October 21, 2025.