Many years ago, Uwem Akpan had a terrible time in New York City. And it wasn’t just because of the bedbugs where he was staying. But rather than vow never to return, and curse the city until his last breath, Akpan decided to write a dark but satirical novel about someone else going through the same thing…and more. In the following email interview, Akpan discusses the impetus of, and influences on, his first novel, New York, My Village (hardcover, Kindle, audiobook).