ROSEMARY ESEHAGU
Written by Rosemary Esehagu, The Looming Fog is a novel about an intersex child and a girl who wants to be a healer. They must find their identity in a rural African community with rigid gender roles.
“A powerful story . . . A tragic portrayal of how those who comfortably belong are blinded to all the unknowns among them.”
SUZANNE J. KESSLER, the Author of Lessons from the Intersexed and the Coauthor of Gender: An Ethnomethodological Approach
SUZANNE J. KESSLER, the Author of Lessons from the Intersexed and the Coauthor of Gender: An Ethnomethodological Approach
“expresses a psychologically and socially profound understanding of human existence.”
Linda Raphael, the Coeditor of When Night Fell: An Anthology of Holocaust Short Stories
Linda Raphael, the Coeditor of When Night Fell: An Anthology of Holocaust Short Stories
“A well-written and interesting novel!”
USABookNews.com
USABookNews.com
“In terms of fabulous handling of cultural material and a backward-looking locale, Esehagu's novel drinks with the adroitness of Akachi Ezeigbo. ... Surprises are constantly recurring and ... thus creating a hunger in the reader to remain wedded to the page-turning narrative.”
Henry Akubuiro, The Sun
Henry Akubuiro, The Sun
“The [intersex child] slowly unravels the complexities of what it means to be a woman or a man ... absolutely fascinating.”
TCM Reviews (Reviewed by Tami Brady)
TCM Reviews (Reviewed by Tami Brady)
“Very strongly recommended reading for all who have ever been different from others around, and those who appreciate an intimate story with a remarkable outcome suffused with the bittersweet truths of dreamers everywhere.”
Midwest Book Review
Midwest Book Review
“A very different kind of story, one that raises interesting questions and provides an insight to Nigerian traditional culture”
Alan Caruba, Editor of Bookviews
Alan Caruba, Editor of Bookviews
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rosemary Esehagu is a published poet and the author of The Looming Fog—her debut novel. She is a native Nigerian who currently lives in Texas. She has published poems and other nonfiction works in different venues. She loves to dance and explore people's minds. Her blog is called the “Paradoxical Chameleon.”
A selection of her published poems include:
When you Shrink Your Circle, published by Elephant Journal.
The Flytrap Door, published by Plum Recruit Magazine
The Game of Hearts, published by A Little Poetry
Changing Times: A Collection of Poems, published by African Writer Magazine
Serenity Calls to the City, published by Elephant Journal
AWARDS
AWARDS
The looming Fog is a 2020 Page Turner Award Finalist.
What are readers saying?
Visit the Goodreads for The Looming Fog to find out.
AUTHOR BLOG
AUTHOR BLOG
The Looming Fog: a Novel about Weakening the Fear Monster.
The Looming Fog: a Novel about Weakening the Fear Monster.
My book, The Looming Fog, was published in June 2006. It is a story with two main characters. The first is an intersex child trying to find their place, and the second is a female child who is not content with her position in her society.
When I first conceived The Looming Fog, I did not know of the seriousness of the journey it would take me on. The journey was into the lives of others and into myself. Like all books, it introduces you to many new lives. The book talks about some unpopular topics; some people have even called it “controversial.” And I suppose it is controversial, as is anything that calls for a critical look at the status quo. But I do not believe the book is exigent in its call for a change; it simply asks one to see the effect of the status quo.
Through writing this book, I have learned a lot about myself, about my thoughts, my ideas, and my opinions, and I have developed some new convictions. Above all, I have learned to be true to myself and to never forget that one fact that binds us all together: no matter who we are, what we are, where we are, or how we are, we are all humans and we deserve to be treated as such. Anything less than this fact is inhumane and is the worst and lowest kind of primitive.
Very so often, we categorize people, and we do need these categories for organizing our everyday living. However, we have become so obsessed with categorizing, so addicted to it, that anything without a category immediately provokes the fear monster within us. There is nothing wrong with categories; they make us feel comfortable; they help us define our selves. But…yes, there is a but. Sometimes we have used these categories against each other. No, many times we have used these categories as a permanently fogged eyeglass, blinding us eternally to the fact that the persons next to us, different in whatever way they are, are most importantly like us in that they are human. Our humanity never leaves us because we are different, even if we are different in a bad way. Sadly, we have used our categories to determine who can be treated humanely and who cannot. Some categories have become the corrupt judge that decides whose person’s life is worthy, worthy to be meaningful. It is time to take off this damaged eyeglass. It is time to see ourselves in each other.
The Looming Fog is about categories, the potentially dividing monster that we welcome, uncritically, into our midst. The book begs that we reconcile our need for categories with our use for them; that is, we should not abuse them. Categories can be the pillars of our society, but like an earthquake, they can also shatter us into bits, making us more and more alienated from one another. Consequently, the next time we look at a mirror, all we would see is someone on the other side of us, instead of simply “us.”
Writing this book has not been the easiest of things. I can even say that it is one of the most challenging things I have done to date (trying to live a Christian life definitely earns first place). I have cried, I have laughed, and I have taken my mind to places I did not even know I could go. You will notice my use of birth metaphors like “conceive” and “born”. This is because this book is like a child to me. It went through a gestational phase, growing to different stages, preparing itself for the life (outside of me, outside of my influences) that it is going to take on.
Books, unlike other children, mature the day they are born. They leave home, ready to face the world, to get their share of scars and laughs. Then maybe, just maybe, one day they will develop wings and fly back home to say:
“I once was lost and confused. I once was misunderstood. People lost their eyes for me, and then I too could not see. But I screamed and then I cried, and then someone recognized my voice. Someone echoed it. Then someone else screamed of joy and hope, and I echoed that. Now I have found my voice, and I am heard. My eyes can now see, and I am seen. I come home at peace with my scars and my laughs. I am home, at last. Let me tell you what I have seen and heard.”
Rosemary Esehagu
Rosemary Esehagu
CONTACT
CONTACT
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