Isele Magazine is thrilled to share that the North American rights of Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo’s debut novel, The Tiny Things Are Heavier, have been bought by Bloomsbury.
Publishers Marketplace says the story is about “a Nigerian woman who comes to the United States for graduate school two weeks after her brother attempts suicide and the complicated relationships she forms—romantic and platonic—as she tries to find her place at home and abroad; a story of family, grief, privilege, and coming-of-age within cultural rupture, set between the American Midwest and Lagos, Nigeria.”
Okonkwo’s editor, Amber Oliver, described the novel as “a beautiful debut“, while the author revealed that this project took five years coming. “To see it finally become this miracle spawned by my super-agent, Alexa Stark, and my brilliant editor, Amber Oliver, has left me floored,” she wrote.
The debut will be out in spring 2025.
Okonkwo won the inaugural Isele Short Story Prize for her short story, “The Year of the Sun,” which our judges described as a masterfully crafted and immersive story that pulls the reader into the distinct world, such that even if they aren’t familiar with the period and the culture, they still are able to find themselves in the characters. Read “The Year of the Sun.”
Congratulations to her!