From Secret Garden Books in Seattle, WA:

Describe your book [The Tiny Things Are Heavier] in 3 words.

Seeking. Hoping. Loving.

What element of this book (character/scene/setting) came to you first?

Sommy, the novel’s protagonist, came first.

What inspired you to write about class in Nigeria?

I come from a lineage of postcolonial writers—Achebe, Emecheta, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, so my impulse is to write about society. I, of course, want to tell a good story first and foremost. With The Tiny Things are Heavier I wanted to write about the stark realities of being a young Nigerian person without means navigating an ancient and enormous system designed to keep one oppressed. I wanted to look at the different dimensions of class, the spectrum of privilege. And I wanted to do it in real and urgent ways by depicting the multi impacts of living under these conditions through the relationships that form and dissolve in the novel.

Who in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?

My mother, for sure. She’s a fantastic storyteller and her humor is unbeatable. She taught me to delight in the pleasure of others. Because of her, when I tell a story I want it to be good, and funny, and moving. I want the listener/reader to feel pleasure even when what’s said is meant to elicit melancholy.

What’s your favorite skill as a writer?

Reading.

Do you prefer first drafts or revisions?

Revisions! My first drafts depress me.