We chat with author Sofia Ajram about Coup de Grâce, which is a mindbending and visceral experimental horror about a young man trapped in an infinite Montreal subway station.
Hi, Sofia! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a metalsmith, writer and editor who specializes in feverish stories of anomalous architecture and queer pining. I’m also the designer of Sofia Zakia jewelry as well as the editor of Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror. I live in Montreal with my cat Isa!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Through AOL chatrooms and Livejournal blogging. Roleplaying with cyberbuddies could braid a two-character plot into endless iterations and alternate universes that would come to hold my attention for years. Writing evolved as a natural extension of that.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Fire Cat by Esther Averill comes to mind!
- The one that made you want to become an author: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Rich and Poor by Jacob Wren
Your debut novel, Coup de Grâce, is out October 1st! If you could only describe it in a few words, what would they be?
Liminal space. brutal. poetic, and experimental
What can readers expect?
An elegiac rumination on abject loneliness, love and choice, and the heart’s most extreme refusal—or veneration—of oblivion.
Where did the inspiration for Coup de Grâce come from?
I adore the aesthetics of liminal space and wanted to know what would come of externalizing a liminal state (like depression or suicidality) into the allegory of a literal physical space. It’s also very much a love letter to the brutalist subway stations that constellate the city of Montreal.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There’s one particularly feverish scene that happens mid-way through the book which is inspired by the urban legend of The Elevator Game. I love a extreme manic moment after a long rest in a story’s musicality.
Why horror?
The ability to externalize our hopes and fears for ourselves, our loved ones, and the world at large is a powerful draw.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It’s a novella, so not quite as daunting as a debut novel! The path was wild and full of fortuities (I pitched to my Editor after he responded to a tweet I’d written about the manuscript).
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a few longer projects. Some historical horror set in the early 1900s through 1930s, as well as an early aughts story which takes place in an AOL chatroom. Going back to my roots!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Dayspring by Anthony Oliveira is gorgeous and divinely heartbreaking.
I’m currently soaking in every word of Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr!
As for future releases, I’ve been talking recently with Shelley Lavigne (co-author of The Flesh of the Sea) and I’m so excited for their forthcoming works; in particular, Enamoured, which comes out in 2025! They have some very clever projects in the pipeline.
