Here Again Now

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 HalfHere Again Now is a novel of great tenderness and understanding. Okechukwu Nzelu’s words feel both wise and fresh on the page. – Elizabeth DayA 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 BuchananOne 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 NewlandNzelu 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 OwusuHere Again Now finds Okechukwu Nzelu truly coming into his power as a novelist. Through this deeply absorbing an devastating story navigating a complex father-son relationship, masculinity and the exquisite joy and pain of queer love, Nzelu writes with precision, style and emotional intelligence. It’s a beautiful and memorable book. Watch him soar. – Niven GovindenHere Again Now is a compelling, enchanting novel of love, grief, and healing. Written in sumptuous prose, and with formal flair, it is heartbreaking, redeeming, and utterly mesmerising – Seán HewittHooked me from the very beginning. There’s such a great respect and dignity at play in this writing - we’re never allowed to forget that the painful blunderings of inexpertly loving can lead us, almost in spite of ourselves, to the place we are supposed to be – Jenn Ashworth

Here Again Now is an affecting portrait of contemporary masculinity, exploring themes of love, loss and vulnerability in the most achingly-beautiful prose. With his second novel, Nzelu confirms his place as one of the most exciting and versatile writers of his generation.

Nzelu’s debut, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, may have put him on the map, but his March follow up,Here Again Now, is arguably his most assured, daring work. Telling a riveting and heartbreaking tale of male friendship, missed opportunity and the bond between fathers and sons, this is a gloriously moving book which will surely collect every award going.

Okechukwu Nzelu is a Manchester-based writer. In 2015 he was the recipient of a Northern Writers’ Award from New Writing North. His debut novel, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney (Dialogue Books), won a Betty Trask Award; it was also shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Polari First Book Prize, and longlisted for the Portico Prize. In 2021, it was selected for the Kingston University Big Read. He is a regular contributor to Kinfolk magazine, and a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Lancaster University.