Alaneme’s ‘Nothing Spoil”:  An authentic, Nigerian story

 

By: Kehinde Balogun 

A Nigerian medical doctor, award-winning writer and tech entrepreneur, Dr. Kelvin Alaneme, is releasing his much-anticipated offering, ‘Nothing Spoil’, a novel. 

Alaneme has featured on several platforms including The Guardian, BBC, Brittlepaper and Business Insider Africa. He divides his time between London and the United States. The Nigerian writer is the winner of the 2020 Voices of Tomorrow Competition organised by the University of Cambridge and a recipient of the 2021 Magnusson Award from Glasgow Caledonian University. 

‘Nothing Spoil’, his first novel, is a gripping tale of love, trauma, and redemption shaped by real-life experiences and a deep understanding of the struggles that define everyday Nigerians. Alaneme’s thought-provoking story has its roots in his experiences during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) years. 

The tale exposes male chauvinism, represented by the rigid Jide, who not only came to alter Stella’s fate but also to add to the horrors of the female world. Embedded in this classic are the disturbing themes of poverty, gender inequality, and HIV/AIDS stigma. Delving into the challenges of motherhood, ‘Nothing Spoil’ captures raw emotions while offering a true-to-life portrayal of Nigerian society.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, Alaneme discussed the real-life events that shaped the story, the effort it took to make every detail feel authentic, and the challenges he faced over the years in completing the novel. He reflected on the rewriting process, the feedback from early readers who kept pushing for more, and the themes that make the novel so relatable. As the discussion unfolds, he also hinted at the possibility of a sequel, keeping readers eager to see what lies ahead for some of the book’s most compelling characters.

What sparked the idea for ‘Nothing Spoil’, and how did you come up with Stella and Jide’s story? 

The foundation of the story was from an experience I had in 2013 during my NYSC. I was the medical officer in a general hospital and had this patient who came in critically ill. His career at the time was a young woman whom everyone assumed was his wife. One day, she came into my office and spent time telling me her story in tears. He was a stranger that she housed for a night and everything spiralled from there. I was so taken by the story that I asked her if she would allow me to share it to Facebook, while anonymising details, just to instruct other young Nigerian girls. She agreed and I posted the story in three parts starting from 2013. She is the person that Stella’s character was based on and my character Jide was fashioned after the man she was caring for. 

The original stories I was posting ended after she left the hospital. I called the series ‘Trapped’ and I had the readers asking me what became of Stella. I started building a fictional world around that singular story idea, posting episodes every week on Facebook. The story took a life of its own and I decided to make it a novel.

Stella goes through a lot but remains strong. How did you shape her character, and did you draw from real-life experiences?

Stella is tough and represents the resilience of the average Nigerian. She went through a lot of traumatic experiences that could break anyone. She was broken in the process, but kept trudging along. Her character and the experiences she had was drawn from real-life experiences of everyday Nigerians. 

Reading the book puts you at the centre of what it feels to survive in Nigeria. For many in the diaspora who have always viewed Nigerians through a certain lens, this book will provide context and insight into what makes us who we are.

The book tells an authentic Nigerian story and paints a vivid picture of Nigerian culture. How important was it for you to get that right, and what challenges did you face?

Authenticity was something I refused to compromise on as I wrote this book. It is also why it took so long. It is crucial that when we tell the Nigerian story, we tell it properly. The novel moves along against a backdrop of historic and contemporary Nigerian issues – the Biafran war, the 1983 expulsion of Ghanaians, a Northern Islamic wedding, kidnapping for ransom, nonchalant politicians – all these made appearances through humour and character accounts.

The main challenge faced was ensuring that things are as accurate as possible and this was surmounted by thorough research. Another challenge was representing Nigerian dialogue accurately on paper. Our conversations are often animated which can be jarring for non-Nigerians. I have kept it as real as possible.

You tackled the stigma around HIV/AIDS in the story. What kind of research went into making those parts feel real?

Beyond just doing research, I had practical experience with this. During my NYSC years, I was the lead for HIV/AIDS in the local government I served at and saw first hand, the damage stigma has on adherence with medications. It is common knowledge that taking antiretrovirals is the main way to manage HIV/AIDS. But you still see people who, just because of stigma, will not attend hospital appointments or be seen carrying medications. 

HIV/AIDS can be managed just like Diabetes and Hypertension. These conditions have no cure as we speak but with proper medication management, complications can be avoided and affected individuals can go on to live full, fruitful lives. This is why it was important that we highlighted the stigma aspect and it felt so real because I was writing from the lived experiences of people I have encountered in person.

It took twelve years to finish this book. What was the hardest part of the process, and what kept you going?

The hardest part of this book was the endless rewriting process. It went through two different rounds of editing by two separate editors over a span of six years and I was still rewriting it. 

What kept me going was that this was a story that needed to be told. Another thing that kept me going was the random questions from my early readers who needed closure. They never stopped asking, “What happened to Stella?”

Stella and Dan’s relationship plays a big role in the story. What did you want readers to take away from their dynamic?

What is most fascinating about the relationship between Stella and Dan is that it was based on genuine friendship. They were there for each other, even when things got tough. 

I think the importance of being friends is underrated in today’s world. If you are friends with someone and the relationship does not work out, you can go back to being friends. You don’t need to tear each other apart and wash dirty linens in public because you are friends, and friends don’t do that.

Motherhood is a big theme in the book. How did you approach writing about it, especially with all the struggles Stella faced?

Writing about motherhood, especially labour and the struggles of raising a child alone, was challenging. As a doctor who has helped pregnant women deliver their babies, I found my experience with these women helpful. 

What also helped was that between starting this book and finishing it, I got married to my wife and we had three children. A lot of what I wrote about also came from watching her closely as she navigated pregnancy, childbirth and currently, motherhood.

The story highlights issues like poverty, gender inequality, and abandoned children. How did you decide which ones to focus on, and what do you hope readers take from them?

Most of these issues are topical and affect millions of Nigerians today. I chose to focus on the most critical ones that had relevance to the story. My job was to shine a light on these issues and I hope the readers gain more insight into the plight of ordinary Nigerian people. I hope politicians read the book, because there is an important lesson for them, towards the end.

This book is a beautiful story of love, trauma and redemption. What key message do you want your readers to take away from this novel?

Kindness is a double-edged sword. It can make you suffer, especially if the recipients of your kindness are undeserving and seek to take advantage. But, kindness can also redeem you. 

We have within us warring factions – to do good or not to do good. Daily, we are faced with hard choices and we should be ready to make the hard choice. Doing good is hard. Doing good can even backfire on you. But never stop being and doing good. Don’t allow your circumstances to turn you into someone you are not. 

Are you working on anything new, and will it follow similar themes or go in a different direction?

Last weekend, a friend joked about wanting to read the story from another character’s point of view. One may ask, “What happened in the eight years when Dan left Stella?” These are some of the ideas we might explore and give some of the key characters an opportunity to tell their own stories. ‘Nothing Spoil’ may just be Book One. Who knows? That said, I am working on some projects which we will announce in due time.

Nothing Spoil will be in bookstores nationally and internationally on April 1, 2025.