🩸 Horror Fiction

Futility

✍️ Nuzo Onoh
Reader Score
4.6
(1 review)
$49.99
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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A dark comedy about revenge through body-swapping in Nigeria.

Onoh crafts a biting satire that blends supernatural elements with domestic drama. The plot hinges on a pact between Chia and Claire to swap bodies for retribution. This mechanism allows Onoh to explore gender dynamics and resentment in Abuja. The narrative avoids standard horror tropes by focusing on the psychological fallout of such a deal. It relies on the tension between the characters' public personas and their private hatreds.

Key Themes
body-swapping revenge African horror tradition betrayal and rage
Literary Context

The story is set in Abuja, Nigeria, featuring a British expatriate and a local restaurateur. It draws on the African horror tradition established by Onoh's previous work.

Difficulty
● Easy
Recommended For Fans Of
Oyinkan Braithwaite · Bella Mackie · African Horror
🩸
Horror Fiction
🏛 Tantor 📅 2025 🌐 English 📔 Compact Disc ISBN: 9798228780712

📝 Description: Futility

Nuzo Onoh, recognized as the Queen of African Horror and Bram Stoker Award Lifetime Achievement recipient, presents a narrative centered on two women seeking vengeance. Chia operates a prominent restaurant in Abuja, Nigeria, known for her hot pepper soup and allure among male patrons. Her beauty hides a secret ingredient within her cooking. Claire, a fifty-year-old British resident in Abuja, lives with a younger Nigerian boyfriend and his cousin Shade. Jealousy disrupts her structured existence after an evening at Chia’s establishment. A trickster spirit intervenes when both women feel betrayed by the men in their lives. They accept the offer of revenge, which involves body-swapping. The story examines their rage and bitterness as they navigate this monstrous transformation. Readers who enjoy Oyinkan Braithwaite's My Sister the Serial Killer or Bella Mackie's How to Kill Your Family will find this tale appealing. It offers a gleeful and bitingly funny look at murder and bloody vengeance. Those preferring traditional horror without humor may find the tone mismatched.

💎 Our verdict on Futility

“
🩸
Horror Reads editorial team
Horror desk
Onoh delivers a masterful blend of supernatural elements and domestic drama, creating a narrative that is both intellectually stimulating and entertainingly grotesque. The body-swap mechanism serves as an effective vehicle for exploring rage and bitterness, allowing for sharp commentary on societal expectations in Abuja. The tone is appropriately dark yet humorous, avoiding the pitfalls of gratuitous horror while maintaining suspense through psychological tension. This approach makes it accessible to a broad audience while still delivering the visceral impact expected from the genre. It stands out as a clever, well-crafted entry in modern horror fiction.
✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers seeking a subversive twist on the revenge genre will find this book deeply satisfying. It appeals to those who appreciate biting satire and dark humor over traditional scares. The narrative offers a fresh perspective on gender dynamics and resentment, wrapped in a gleeful exploration of murder and bloody vengeance. Fans of unconventional horror who enjoy psychological fallout over jump scares will gain significant pleasure from the tension between public personas and private hatreds. It is ideal for book lovers tired of standard tropes, offering a unique cultural context that enriches the thematic depth without relying on familiar Western horror clichés.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.6
Based on 1 reviews
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Horror Reads editorial team

Onoh delivers a masterful blend of supernatural elements and domestic drama, creating a narrative that is both intellectually stimulating and entertainingly grotesque. The body-swap mechanism serves as an effective vehicle for exploring rage and bitterness, allowing for sharp commentary on societal expectations in Abuja. The tone is appropriately dark yet humorous, avoiding the pitfalls of gratuitous horror while maintaining suspense through psychological tension. This approach makes it accessible to a broad audience while still delivering the visceral impact expected from the genre. It stands out as a clever, well-crafted entry in modern horror fiction.

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