A Letter Away From Asaba: A Novella

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There is an instance where Onome gives way too much credit to the British by writing to Chioma that she must be mistaken about her account of the massacre, or the British are censoring the news (come on now).

A Letter Away from Asaba is an epistolary novella that speaks on history, that has effected so many, through letters sent by our main protagonists Chioma and Onome. At McGill, I am looking forward to taking a variety of courses in history and political science exploring a range of areas such as African history, international relations, and indigeneity.

A letter Away from Asaba is an emotional and intimate account of the Asaba massacre that occurred in 1967, Nigeria. As she struggles to deal with the horrific and ceaseless deaths surrounding her, she takes sanctuary in receiving letters from her oldest friend, Onome, who is studying law at Kings College in London. So thrilled to have had my official book launch celebrating the release of my debut novel ‘A Letter Away From Asaba’. Claudia Efemini is an author and current History and Politics student at the University of Edinburgh. As I read it, memories of my school days and the places where I have lived come to life, which helps me empathize with the characters.

With her recently published historical fiction novel, A Letter Away From Asaba, The Edinburgh Tab had the pleasure of interviewing her about her book, inspiration, and writing process. The book follows two lifelong friends, Chioma and Onome, as they investigate the atrocities that led to the massacre in their hometown of Asaba and the obstacles they encounter. When such horrifying events like wars and massacres occur, it is all too easy to become overwhelmed by the brutal deaths, and often the sheer number of them. If you are interested, please do give it a follow to get an insight into the entire publication process and join me on my journey to publication. Her novel, Little River, explores Scotland’s role in slavery in the Caribbean, with a particular focus on Scottish sugar barons in Jamaica from 1731 to 1812.I’ve included a quote at the beginning of this post that I wrote in the article, which really encapsulates my motivation for writing this book. Change country: -Select- Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Azerbaijan Republic Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Cape Verde Islands Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Fiji Finland French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Republic Gambia Georgia Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Israel Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of Croatia Republic of the Congo Reunion Romania Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts-Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa South Korea Sri Lanka Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City State Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands (U. The podcast host Claudia Efemini, author, history undergrad and dear friend asked us questions that really challenged Esther and I to reflect on our experiences at The University of Edinburgh. Thank you Retrospect Journal HCA for recognising the importance of this book and announcing it on your platform. The book would be of interest to anyone who cares for fictional stories, history, colonialism, Nigerian (and wider African) culture, friendships, politics, social movements, and the list goes on.

International Women’s Day also gives us an opportunity to recognise the inner and outer work we all need to do to achieve gender equality for all women, regardless of where they come from. I am happy to share that I have been offered the position as Culture Editor at The McGill Daily, an independent student newspaper at McGill University that has been in operation since 1911. Onome’s experiences navigating a white campus as a black student will be relatable for many young readers today, and the lessons she learns can provide guidance and support to the readers who identify with her. We spoke with Claudia about publishing, the history behind the story, and the importance of learning about colonialism and its ongoing effects. I would have liked some more background about their relationship together and how they have grown - we get to know them when they are adults and see that relationship go through ups and downs, which is great.

Many of us who live abroad and don't get the chance to come back home feel like we lose parts of who we are and our country the longer we are gone, but this felt like a piece of home. I am so thrilled to announce that my debut novel ‘A Letter Away From Asaba’ will be published in spring 2023. A massive thank you to Deborah Alhassan for organising the book launch and Paula Melissa Ugochukwu for hosting it. Claudia is also a Culture Editor at The McGill Daily whilst currently doing an exchange year at McGill University.