Godwin Iheanacho is the author of Silver Lining series and a radio drama producer. He is also a versatile, dynamic and arts journalist based in Lagos, Nigeria. In this interview, Godwin who has created a pattern for his novels with the title ‘Silver Lining’ in series of different subtitles, tells about his second book.
“Silver lining: The Confession” is a fellow up to “Silver Lining”. It is a continuation of “Silver Lining”. I have another book coming out soon, still a follow up to “Silver Lining: The Confession”, but it’s yet to be out. I’m working on it.
What fascinates you in the title “Silver Lining”; why repeat the same title for different books?
When I wrote the first book and was done with the draft, I was relaxing and watching a cartoon when the title of cartoon streamed ‘Stuart little’ that was where and how the title ‘silver lining’ came up and since then I love it and I’m sticking to it.
In your debut novel, you combined prose with poetry. Now, in this new book, it’s strictly prose work. Why the blend in your debut book and the retreat of poetry in the latest edition?
There’s something about writing. Every Author is unique and different in their own way. From my own angle the flow the matters. In my debut book when the inspiration was coming to my head, I was letting them loose. Then I noticed that I needed to go extra to convey my message. At times in life, there might be a message you are trying to convey, out of the blue you feel English language will not drive home what you really feel, instantly you prefer your dialect. Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa or proverbs.
Poetry being included in the first edition of silver lining was just to send my message across. Some of the poems in my debut book for example ‘what a woman wants’ couldn’t have been expressed properly without a touch of poetry. I couldn’t just say: a woman wants money, clothes and all that. My message won’t be driven the way it felt in my heart. But poetry sent that message literally.
Is “Silver Lining: the confession” a fiction, Non-fiction or a combination of both?
It is a synergy of both. There were some things I wanted to write but didn’t want to make it seem like I was impersonating someone. Secondly interacting with other people who had also experienced the plot, in reality, help build the book.
What inspired “Silver lining: the confession”?
First, I’m a catholic and all Confession is a doctrine in the Catholic Church. During confection, it’s the petitioner and the priest representing Jesus in human form. And whatever that is been said during confession isn’t meant for another ear. So, this book is about Goody’s aftermath, of his relationship with Childiebere in Silver Lining. After Goddy and Chidiebere went their separate ways. How Goody lived his life and now he is narrating the story to start a new chapter and this new chapter is Silver Lining: something else, the book is yet to be out.
What do you intend to impact to people through your novel?
Love and relationship on the surface are medicines that come with expiry dates. If you’re in a relationship and you aren’t being honest, genuine or sincere to each other, it better to let it out early than allowing the other person have an extended unproductive year with you. Spending 6, 7 years with someone who had an ulterior motive doesn’t worth it.
What was the writing process for this novel?
Writing the first book for me was a smooth ride, of course, the beautiful angel had just walked out of my life, I was grieved and indoors. I had all-time in the world to just to pour down my thoughts; it was that easy. But the confession wasn’t that easy there were days I had writer’s block. But it’s worth despite all.
Do you have a reason for using youths as your major characters?
Yes, I do. A friend of mine used to call them the generation Z not X anymore because they tend to misinterpreted and misused the word love and infatuation. They see a young lady and get carried away by her physical Coca-Cola structure, the girls are carried away by the sweet-nothings they hear. You hear them say love at first sight. I think Love, at first sight, was a phenomenon that happened during the 20th century when are parents and grandparent were young. Majority of the millennials need to be tutored about the relationship, it’s not always smooth and it’s a two-way ride. They need to be open up to partner and streamline where the relationship is heading to, either marriage or not. The earlier they both know the better. Youths need to all know these and be guided because they represent a larger population of our nation.
