We chat with author Kia Abdullah about Perfectly Nice Neighbors, which is a riveting and timely thriller and asks the question: When your dream home comes with nightmare neighbors, how far will you go to keep your family safe?
Hi, Kia! Can you tell our readers a bit about you and your childhood?
Hi! I’m an author and travel writer from London. I grew up in Tower Hamlets – one of the less illustrious areas of the city – in a family of eight children. I didn’t own any books growing up, but my sisters took me to our local library every weekend, and reading changed my life. It showed me possibilities, instilled a sense of ambition and gave me the tools to navigate the very middle-class world of publishing.
Today, I have published four novels and traveled to over 70 countries across seven continents – something I would not have done without that early love of reading.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Storytelling has always been important to me. When I was around four years old, I basically refused to eat unless my mother told me a story. In Sylheti, my mother tongue, the phrase is ‘kitcha kho’ – tell me a story – and that instilled a love of storytelling. I grew up writing my own stories and knew very early on that I wanted to be a writer.
Later, when I was 11 years old and leaving primary school for secondary school, my teacher gave me a notebook and pen and told me to jot down interesting snippets of conversation that I hear on public transport to use in my stories. I will always be grateful to that teacher because that early vote of confidence did wonders for me.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first book I remember reading is a ‘Bangers and Mash’ one. The series followed two mischievous chimps and was hugely popular in the UK at the time.
The book that made me want to become an author is a bit trickier. I suppose Anne of Green Gables was hugely influential. My parents were fairly conservative and, even as a child, I got the sense that my life was prescripted: school, college, a vocational subject like accountancy or pharmacy, then marriage and, finally, kids. When I read Anne of Green Gables and saw how a certain pesky redhead subverted the expectations placed on her, I realized that I could do the same. I didn’t have to become an accountant or pharmacist; I could do something creative instead.
The book I can’t stop thinking about: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. It’s so intricate and beautiful – kind of like the Sistine Chapel of literature.
Your new novel, Perfectly Nice Neighbors, is out September 12th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Ha ha. I just looked at its Amazon page and saw that author Andrea Mara described it as “intelligent, clever, poignant, sharp, and thought-provoking”. Can I copy her?
What can readers expect?
In the novel, readers will meet Salma Khatun, a teacher who has just moved with her family to a nice, safe development in the outer reaches of London. Not long after they move in, Salma spots her neighbor, Tom Hutton, ripping out the anti-racist banner her son put in their front garden. She chooses not to confront Tom because she wants to fit in. It’s a small thing, really. No need to make a fuss. So Salma takes the banner inside and puts it in her window instead. But the next morning she wakes up to find her window smeared with paint. This time she does confront Tom, who reacts with hostility. Things begin to escalate and soon it becomes clear that somebody is going to get hurt. It’s a thriller at heart but also asks the reader to engage with some deeper themes.
Where did the inspiration for Perfectly Nice Neighbors come from?
I can trace the idea to something that happened when I was eight years old. During the World Cup, I drew a picture of the England flag – a red cross on a white background – and stuck it in our window to support our national team. When my dad came home that evening, he tore down the flag in a panic. “Don’t ever do that again,” he told me. “We’ll get a brick through our window.”
I was too young to understand that my father – a Bangladeshi immigrant to England – saw violence in that flag, long used as an emblem by far-right groups in Britain. That memory came to me years later when I left multicultural London for a small rural town in Yorkshire. One morning, a neighbor posted a flag through my letterbox with an invitation to a singalong to celebrate the anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. I wondered what would happen if I declined. We live in a time where symbols, colors and slogans mark out volatile battle lines. What happens when that battle comes to your doorstep? That’s the question I wanted to explore.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I enjoyed writing the barbecue scene that opens the novel. There’s so much that goes on, from Tom assuming that Salma lives in social housing to his wife, Willa, being intentionally crude. The underlying tension of the scene was great fun to write.
It’s interesting because one reviewer in a UK magazine said that Salma is “on the lookout for reasons to take offense”, while others have understood why Salma is uncomfortable. I love that two different readers can interpret this dynamic in different ways. It speaks to the complexity of the subject and, hopefully, the nuance in the scene.
What do you love about the thriller genre?
I love that it can thrill and entertain the reader while also saying something important about the world. For example, Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr Ripley says a lot about class and status while Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me reflects on violence and misogyny. These themes add a deeper layer to the story and that’s what I’ve always aimed to do with my novels. In some ways, Perfectly Nice Neighbors is a snapshot of a time. The Black Lives Matter movement in the US and Brexit in the UK made many of us question our place in our country of birth and that’s something I wanted to explore.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently writing my fifth novel, which is due in October. After that, I’m going to travel again. I’ve been grounded this year due to various deadlines and I’m desperate to get back on the road!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Yes! Some of my favorite crime novels of the past couple of years include All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien, The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward and The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker.
