Smells Like Stars: D. Nandi Odhiambo

Nandi Odhiambo won the 2018 Elliot Cades Award for Literature for an Established Writer. His latest novel Smells like Stars is set in a Pacific tourist haven and follows four characters who are each fighting for love against layers of historic and contemporary hurdles.

Part investigative thriller, part family drama, the story explores queer and interracial love, suffering, communication and the search for meaning in a place steeped in colonial history. Nandi speaks with Tina Makereti (The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke) about this thought-provoking book and the experiences behind it.