Podcast Summary

Podcast: New Books Network

Host: Paul A. Ghattory
Guest: Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, Author of The Creation of Half-Broken People
Date: September 27, 2025

Overview: Main Theme & Purpose

This episode features a rich, in-depth discussion between host Paul A. Ghattory and Zimbabwean writer, scholar, and filmmaker Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu about her new novel The Creation of Half-Broken People (House of Anansi, 2025). The conversation primarily explores the novel’s engagement with gothic literary traditions, its polyphonic structure, and its nuanced treatment of colonialism, mental health, and women’s experiences—especially those marginalized by race, gender, and neurodiversity. Ndlovu elaborates on her inspirations, the challenge of portraying intersecting oppressions, and the importance of collective narrative voices.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to the Novel

• Paul expresses excitement over the book, calling it "one of my top gothic novels ever, ever ever" [01:32].
• Brief synopsis: The novel centers on a nameless woman plagued by visions and her entanglement with the Good family—a lineage tied to colonial exploits in Africa. The protagonist's journey into protest, haunted attics, and castles is laced with magic, love, mental illness, and the oppressive legacies of empire [01:32–03:25].

Origins: Character & Voice

• Siphiwe explains the first voice to emerge was Elizabeth Chalmers, "the linchpin for most of what happens in the first half of the novel" [04:10].
• Elizabeth, a mixed-race woman, was inspired by Ndlovu’s research during grad school on how colonial governments criminalized women’s mobility, especially women of color [04:10–06:32].
  • Quote: “She did not have a man at her side. Because if you were moving around alone, away from male authority, that meant that there was something wrong with you.” [04:34]
• Ndlovu reflects on the ambiguity around Elizabeth's mental health: "I was never sure that she was mentally unsound. I just sort of like felt like she was being seen from the outside. But eyes that just did not understand what they were seeing." [06:19]

Polyphonic Structure and Representation

• Siphiwe prefers writing multiple perspectives over a single voice, informed by her experience as a Black, Global South woman [07:47].
  • Quote: “I'm very suspicious of a narrative that just focalizes one voice. That’s not how I experience the world.” [08:10]
• The polyvocality allows the novelist to show how women across generations and social strata navigate the intersection of colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy [08:51–10:56].

Mental Illness, Madness, and Intertextuality

• Paul highlights the book's approach to neurodivergent and "mad" characters, appreciating stories that don’t force them into a neurotypical mold [06:32].
• Ndlovu discusses being in conversation with other “mad women” texts: “The entire novel is very much intertextual with other novels... about women who have been written... as mad.” [12:17]
• She discusses the influence of The Yellow Wallpaper, Beloved, and other foundational texts, as well as the violence of patriarchy, colonialism, and capitalism on women’s minds and bodies [12:17–15:43].
  • Quote: “The text that I'm in conversation with... are really the way I came to have the language to understand these kinds of oppression and how they work on women's minds and bodies.” [15:04]

Naming and the Nameless Protagonist

• Paul relates the unnamed protagonist to traditions in gothic literature—especially Rebecca and Wide Sargasso Sea [15:43–23:20].
• Siphiwe explains the protagonist’s lack of name signifies a loss of self rooted in trauma and history, echoing others in the gothic tradition:
  • Quote: “So she is that lost as a character... she's so divorced from who she is. She's so divorced from her history. And for me, this was important to have her then be nameless” [23:35].
• The loss of a name is both literal (her father removes her name) and symbolic—a void that gradually gains substance as the character’s journey unfolds [23:20–27:28].

Reception, Timing, and Reader Experience

• Paul and Siphiwe discuss how books can unsettle or comfort readers depending on their personal histories and where they are in life [27:28–34:29].
• Books like The Bluest Eye and Crackpot are referenced as examples of works that found the right reader at the right (or wrong) time. This underlines the personal, evolving nature of literary reception [32:17–34:29].

Subverting Gothic Tropes & Intersectionality

• Paul observes that Ndlovu’s novel refuses clear binaries of good/evil or right/wrong, instead “splashing in a puddle of mud” and making the genre new [34:30–37:02].
• Siphiwe acknowledges the intention to build on and move beyond traditional gothic themes by foregrounding intersectional oppressions [37:02].

Upcoming Works

• Siphiwe reveals she's working on a novella, written in vignettes, tracing the lives of four friends over 40 years. It will be interconnected with her other works but presents a new formal challenge [37:12–38:56].
  • Quote: “It's a novella. It's very short, and it's written in vignettes... you just always come in on a person's life and then you leave” [37:18].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Character Origins:
  “The first voice that came to me was Elizabeth Chalmers...she's a woman of mixed race. And I remember I was in graduate school, and I was reading a lot of Southern African history, feminist Southern African history...” — Siphiwe Ndlovu [04:13]

• On Polyphonic Narratives:
  “I always write from multiple perspectives because for me that makes sense... as a Global south woman... I'm very suspicious of a narrative that just focalizes one voice. That's not how I experience the world.” — Siphiwe Ndlovu [07:47–08:10]

• On Literary Conversation:
  “The entire novel is very much intertextual with other novels... about women who have been written... as mad. I wanted to have that kind of conversation throughout the novel with those kinds of people who came before.” — Siphiwe Ndlovu [12:17]

• On the Nameless Protagonist:
  “She is so divorced from who she is. She's so divorced from knowing who she is. She's so divorced from her history. And for me, this was important to have her then be nameless, right?” — Siphiwe Ndlovu [23:35]

• On Literary Reception and Timing:
  “I think we all meet stories at different moments, and sometimes, you know, we're like, oh, ouch. And sometimes we're like, okay. And I can go along with this. I understand what's happening. So it's all, Yeah. I think you meet stories, you know, in your journey.” — Siphiwe Ndlovu [31:19]

• On Upcoming Projects:
  “It's a novella. It's very short, and it's written in vignettes... about four friends who know each other over a span of 40 years, and just the kinds of different turns that their friendship takes...” — Siphiwe Ndlovu [37:18]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Book Introduction & Synopsis: [01:32–03:25]
• First Voice: Elizabeth Chalmers: [04:10–06:32]
• Polyphonic Narratives & Structural Choices: [07:47–10:56]
• Intertextuality & “Madness”: [12:17–15:43]
• Discussion of Gothic Naming Traditions: [15:43–23:20]
• The Power of the Nameless Protagonist: [23:20–27:28]
• Readers’ Experience and Literary Timing: [27:28–34:29]
• Subverting Gothic Conventions: [34:30–37:02]
• Forthcoming Novella Project: [37:12–39:43]

Tone and Language

Throughout the conversation, both Paul and Siphiwe employ candid, personal, and often humorous reflections on literature and identity. Their tone is intellectual yet accessible, blending academic rigor with warmth and vulnerability. The episode is rich in literary analysis and personal anecdotes, making it engaging for passionate readers and scholars alike.