A new chapter for Zainab

“I’M over the moon,” exclaims Ennis television presenter and journalist Zainab Boladale, speaking about the release of her debut Young Adult novel ‘Braids Take A Day’.
“I’ve always wanted to write a book, to be an author was always something that had always been a dream of mine,” adds the 27-year-old Nationwide presenter.
The coming-of-age novel centres on 17-year-old Abidemi, who can’t wait for summer, her last one at home in Ennistymon before she heads off to college. She’s ready to say goodbye to school, spend some time learning new braids and hairstyles – and see where things go with her friend Jack. But when she meets an intriguing woman from Nigeria, secrets start to unravel. Suddenly, life and family are changing and she needs to think hard about who she wants to be.
Zainab, who was born in Nigeria and moved to Ennis aged four, explains the novel evolved from an initial idea for a small chapter she had just jotted down years earlier.
“It was in 2020 and we were working from home and there was not a lot of certainty about what the next couple of months would look like so I thought let me see what I can get going in my own time,” she said.
“That was when there was a lot of undecidedness about whether journalists could travel at length, and with my job with Nationwide I need to go from county to county.
“During that time I looked into my drafts of stuff that I had worked on before, I used to write a lot of short stories. This story, that is now in the book, was just a chapter and I just thought there were things in there that could be more.
“It wasn’t until the following year I was talking to people who have written books, just asking about their process, trying to get a bit more knowledge about the industry and children’s book author Sarah Webb introduced me to O’Brien Press and we just started chatting from there.”
Without giving too much away about the plot, she tells us, “Abi’s father reveals he will be gone for three weeks on work travel, which means Abi has newfound freedom, which she has never experienced before, leading up to a big event – the teenage disco.
At the same time there is a new woman in town she is absolutely obsessed with, because she represents everything Abi would like to be as an adult, she grew up in Nigeria and moved to Ireland in later life.
“Between the jigs and the reels the summer starts off in a great way, but then things go helter skelter and it kind of puts Abi in a place where she has to decide who she wants to be in the future.”
The character of Abi wasn’t inspired by her own teenage years, she says, “But, it was very important for me to put in elements of growing up in a small town in Ireland. Growing up in Ennis, I knew that the teenage disco was a big thing – that joy and excitement of teenagehood and girlhood.
“Abi is much more reserved than me, and kind of doesn’t know herself yet, whereas when I was a teenager, I was very bold, confident and outspoken.”
The art of braiding plays an important role in the novel.
“I’ve always loved hair. I’m actually very inspired by braiders and the amount of time and patience that it takes to do hair, so I really wanted to bring in that element to the book,” she said.
“When I started writing, I just felt like it would have been a disservice to my voice if I didn’t include the things that I found fascinating, the things that I find interesting, and to put it on a wider platform to educate others.
“And not just educate but to show an appreciation for another element of something that links to culture and beauty, which are things that I’m interested in.
“So, I put in that kind of element of braids being both a literal and metaphorical meaning about the paths life can weave you through.
“While Abi is learning new hairstyles and using hair to learn a bit more about herself, she is also finding herself in her own life.
“And that things take patience, hence the title of Braids Take A Day, it is like a metaphorical meaning of needing patience to figure things out, in the same way you need patience to learn to do braids.”
When she was a teen Zainab was drawn to books that adults could also enjoy, and she hopes her novel is seen in the same way.
“There are a lot of big themes in the book, family, self identity, there is a bit of a look at inequality.
“I just wanted to bring in elements where, while there is a story there on the surface there is also layered meetings
“I also wanted to show a lot of appreciation to that unique experience of growing up with two different cultures in Ireland, and how that sometimes, if you are not as close to one culture, how that sometimes leaves you feeling not fully aware of who you are.”
Asked what she would like readers to come away with from picking up the book, she replies, “If anything, I would like for someone to take away a little bit more of an understanding for younger people who go through things. That is in general across the board, because while Abi is going through a lot of self identity issues, there are other teenagers in the book where you can see that there is still a lot of young people trying to find their voice and trying to figure out who they are.
“I also want people to take away an appreciation of braiders, because I think sometimes we can appreciate hairdressers who do amazing work. But I think there is something really special about braiders, and there are so many amazing braiders in Ireland. I hope for them to feel a little bit seen in the book as well.”
She says she is “overjoyed” to see her book on the shelves.
“For me, it’s just ‘oh geez, it’s done, it’s out there’. For me I’ve been working on the project for over almost two years and it’s like people are seeing the end of a journey. But it’s also a start of a journey.”
She hopes this journey will see the release of more novels in the future. “Fingers crossed, that’s the best thing to say now but I am playing around with ideas that I want to work on.”