I always like hearing from my former students, so I was pleased when an email message from Nathan Nicolau showed up in my inbox a month or two ago. Nathan is currently a full-time member of the English faculty at Central Piedmont Community College, but when I first met him, he was a graduate student in the English MA program at UNC Charlotte. I directed Nathan’s creative MA thesis, and I remember urging him to expand his thesis into a full-length novel. Well, in his email message, he informed me he had, in fact, revised and expanded his thesis and that it would be published in March under the title Two. I congratulated Nathan, and I let him know that I planned to feature his novel in my Storied Charlotte blog. With this goal in mind, I asked him for more information about his debut novel and its connections to Charlotte. Here is what he sent to me:
I’ve lived in the Charlotte area since I was nine years old. It’s truly my home and the only place I’ve ever known. Charlotte has been there for many incredible moments in my life, and I wanted to reflect that in my debut novel, Two. Two started as my master’s thesis with Dr. Mark West at UNC Charlotte, and I credit him for giving the novel its identity. While the novel follows two central characters, I remember distinctively how he suggested having a third character: Charlotte. I then incorporated real-life locations in the novel, such as Romare Bearden Park, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Book Buyers, Amélie’s French Bakery, and UNC Charlotte.
I made sure that these locations were not just background scenery, however. Charlotte plays a subtle, yet essential role in Two. The novel follows two college-aged lost souls, Howl and Ella, taking a journey across Charlotte to figure out the mystery of an unknown Italian opera that Ella can recite but does not understand. This journey through Charlotte is the catalyst for the two to discover themselves and each other while forming a strong, non-romantic bond that goes beyond friendship. Charlotte’s locations, history, and people serve as Howl and Ella’s guides through their ups and downs. For example, the novel opens with Ella reciting the Italian opera to a specific statue in Romare Bearden Park, the Spiral Odyssey. Later, Ella explains her fascination with the statue: it was created in tribute to her favorite artist, the person who inspired her to become one, Romare Bearden. However, it is revealed that she dropped out of art school for ethical reasons, and she doubts her artistic abilities. When she and Howl walk through the Bechtler Museum, however, they have deep conversations on the nature of art that fuels her passion and helps Howl better understand Ella.
Of course, Bearden is the face of Charlotte’s art history, and Two is partially a novel about art: how we view it, understand it, and discuss it. Charlotte has an incredible art scene that I am happy to be contributing to with Two. As brought to my attention by Dr. West, there have been many great novels set in Charlotte. I am honored to be part of this tradition!
For readers who want to know more about Nathan and his debut novel, please click on the following link: https://www.nathannicolau.com/
I am not alone in offering congratulations to Nathan on the publication of Two. All the UNC Charlotte faculty members who had the pleasure of working with Nathan while he was pursuing his MA degree in English are proud of him for publishing his novel. Moreover, within the broader context of Charlotte’s community of readers and writers, the publication of a new novel by a Charlotte writer is always a cause for celebration, especially when the novel is set right here in Storied Charlotte.
