Q&A with Donica Merhazion, Author of Born at the End of the World

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Set against the backdrop of Ethiopia and Eritrea’s Red Terror, Born at the End of the World is a story of love, resistance, and survival. Inspired by true events from her family’s history, Donica Merhazion’s debut novel brings a personal lens to a period of history that remains largely undocumented in literature. Through the interlaced lives of Elen and Girmai, the novel highlights the human cost of political violence while honoring the courage, sacrifice, and hope that endure even in the darkest times.

Buy the book here.

Book Description: An epic story of espionage, love and sacrifice. 

In 1970s Ethiopia, 13-year-old Elen, determined to escape her arranged marriage, secretly abandons her

tiny village, hoping to find her aunt living in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. Meanwhile, Girmai escapes his abusive stepmother after the death of his beloved father, only to end up homeless and starving on the streets of the city. Overcoming the odds, Elen and Girmai both grow up to be successful business owners, each with their own lives and families.

When the Derg regime overthrows the government, they turn Asmara into a nightmare of roaming bands of soldiers, who torture and kill civilians with impunity. Refusing to accept the injustice and mass killings of the Red Terror campaign, Elen and Girmai join the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front's (EPLF) underground network to fight for freedom.

The stakes rise as the horror of Derg-sanctioned torture leaks out of dissident detention centers. Elen and Girmai struggle to maintain their precarious fight for justice and a growing passion for each other. As they fall in love, they are faced with impossible choices, tragedy, and heroism in a cause much bigger than their own lives.

Based on a true story, Born at the End of the World is a powerful narrative of patriotism, love, camaraderie, and courage, no less uplifting or appalling than Schindler's List. Author Bio: Donica Merhazion, born in the midst of Ethiopia's Red Terror, channels her family’s experiences into her debut novel, Born at the End of the World. A former journalist and educator with degrees in journalism and education, she calls Eritrea, Zambia, and the United States home. Passionate about storytelling, she inspires her students to love learning and embrace their potential while finding time to write in her favorite quiet spots.

1. First of all, congratulations on such a powerful and important work of literature. I truly appreciated the opportunity to experience a story like this–one I might never have encountered otherwise. Historical fiction like this feels essential, as it helps readers understand the sacrifices made in the pursuit of freedom and offers a glimpse into other worlds. When writing, did you ever think about who might be on the other side of your words?

Thank you! Yes, I always had my children in mind when I was writing it. My parents are such powerful storytellers, and it is through their stories that I grew interested in my history and all it took to set up a good life for me. As the story grew from an essay to my children to the book that it is now, I hoped that the way I conveyed the story would connect anyone reading it to the past to understand the present better and see the universality of the human experience.

2. Born at the End of the World centers on Ethiopia’s Red Terror, which occurred in the 1970s. Do you feel this period has been widely represented in literature, or does your book contribute to what is still a relatively small body of work on this era in Ethiopian history?

Ethiopian and Eritrean culture is rooted in oral tradition. This means that much of what happened during the Red Terror went undocumented. As I conducted research to supplement the interviews I did with my parents, most of the articles and news stories I found were from news agencies or academic papers outside of both countries. There were many efforts for publications from within the countries to be publicized, but the nature of the Red Terror was to eradicate any evidence of what happened during that time. This period is not widely represented in literature; it is a very small body of work that exists, and much of what happens remains buried with so many who lost their lives.

3. The novel is inspired by the true events of your family’s history and legacy. How much of it is fiction, and how much actually transpired? What was the process like for turning your parents’ real-life experiences into a novel?

Most of what I have written there is as my parents told it. If I were to put a percentage on it, it would be about 95%. I reconstructed a few conversations and collapsed timelines so everything would fit into the story you see in the book. I also changed some names in the story. Part of the decision to do that was also to make the story as accessible as possible, particularly to people of my generation who may not have had the opportunity to get stories from their parents, as well as our children’s generation, who are far removed from their grandparents' experiences.

4. The story is rich with historical details. As a reader unfamiliar with the history of Ethiopia and Eritrea, I found it incredibly educational. What was the process like for incorporating history naturally into the dialogue and storyline?

Thank you! It was a delicate balance, and it took many rounds of editing to blend the personal stories and the history into a version where the reader can learn something new and, hopefully, be inspired to dig a little deeper on their own. It was incredibly helpful to share an early draft with beta readers with very different backgrounds and life experiences and get their feedback. This helped make adjustments to parts of the book where there wasn’t enough background and others where there was too much, which may have detracted from the personal story arc. There is so much important information that didn’t make it in!

5.  Can you share a little about the research process?
   

The first step was to interview my parents and document everything I could with as much detail as possible, including time frames and what they knew about the larger political landscape at the time. I then scoured all the sources I could online to align what I could, subscribed to academic resources such as JSTOR, and looked through all the news archives I could find. It was amazing to me, as I dug deep, that I could corroborate the stories I heard from them with larger incidents reported and documented. It was an emotional journey to think that hundreds of thousands of people had similar stories, many not as fortunate as my parents to survive.

6. In your reader’s note, you mention growing up surrounded by stories of your parents’ courage and resistance–stories that were later overshadowed by the harsh opinions of your peers. Can you share how you transformed that early sense of shame into pride as you moved from adolescence into adulthood?
   

If I were to talk to my younger self (who probably would not have listened!) I would try to comfort her by explaining that we are all burdened by the need to feel a sense of belonging in whatever community we are in. Sometimes that need shows up as love from those around you, sometimes people bond with each other by ostracizing what is different. My younger self was an anomaly in my school environment, so it makes sense now, reflecting on it and knowing what I know about that innate human need to seek a sense of belonging, that my peers preferred to bond with each other by pointing out what was different in their environment.

7. You include text in your native language in both the opening photograph and the dedication page. Why was this choice meaningful to you, and what inspired this decision?
   

My parents speak, read, and write in Tigrinya, and I wanted to give them a space in the book that spoke directly to them. When we first came to Nairobi, my parents understood that to assimilate and be successful in the new world they brought their children into, we would have to be fluent English speakers and students. That set in motion a trajectory of learning that pushed us away from fluency in our mother tongue. They did this to make sure our lives would be better than theirs and that we would have a greater chance of success. This also meant sacrificing the learning in our own language. I learned to read and write in Tigrinya as a teenager, and I am nowhere as fluent as I am in English. I wanted to make that small connection through that gesture.

8.  The story depicts the objectification of young women in 1960s Ethiopia, who are viewed as little more than “currency” or property that families can use to trade or benefit from. Has this changed over the years, or are there still similar attitudes and expectations toward women in modern-day Ethiopia?

I can’t say with complete factual certainty what conditions are for women in Ethiopia and Eritrea now. Reforms have been introduced over the years to prevent child marriages and other similar practices, and to put in place more protections for women and girls, but with many conflicts over the years, I can imagine it has been hard to uphold those reforms.

9.  The chapters alternate between Elen’s and Girmai’s storylines, which reflect one another through shared themes of resisting oppression and seeking independence. When writing, did you move between the two storylines as you went, or focus on one before weaving them together?

When first thinking about the story's structure, I had to organize all the information I got through the interviews, then mapped out what happened sequentially. I am a visual thinker, so I had a Post-it for each event I thought was important to include in the story, when it happened, etc., and color-coded each based on character. I then put them into a single, massive timeline up on a wall to visualize how the stories connected over time. That's when I had a clearer idea of which stories to elevate and how to weave them together as alternating chapters so the reader could connect with each character. Understanding the evolution of both characters is important because of how they are intertwined later on in the story.

10. The chapters also bounce between different years. What was it like to write the story nonchronologically?
    

Mom and Dad came into the city at different times, but their entry points were significant in their story arcs as initial events. It was important to include the years because I wanted to stick to the facts as much as possible to honor their experiences and give the reader an accurate perspective on what life was like during that time. Keeping that visual timeline on the wall was very important so I could refer back and keep the story straight in my head! I kept it up and referred to it every day until the flow felt right.

11. What was it like writing the characters both in the defiance of their youth and in the more sophisticated rebellion of their adulthood? In what ways do young Elen and Girmai mirror their adult counterparts?
    

I didn’t really have to make anything up in that sense. I simply translated what I heard onto the page, and the truth of their characters and personalities is one I truly appreciate and am awed by. The reason I wanted the reader to be part of their childhood is to understand that the choices people make change the trajectory of their lives, and that growing into our true selves through the decisions we make is the most beautiful thing about the evolution from child to adult. They were always who they were, and their constant determination to do the right thing showed up in different ways as they grew, but their essence was always there.

12. The love story between Elen and Girmai offers a much-needed reprieve from the darkness and turmoil they are fighting against. What was it like writing a love story set against the chaos of the Derg regime, and how much of their love story was drawn from real life?

It is their love that helped them fight, survive, and hope. They love each other deeply, and other than a few reconstructed conversations, all of what you read in the book is real life. They are soul mates and to this day continue to be so. I included their love story in there because it is important to understand how both misery and light can exist in the same space. It is always fascinating to me how their spirits were not broken by the things they experienced. I believe their love for each other was and is bigger than the trauma they had to endure.

13. Many of the chapters are difficult to read because of the intense depictions of torture and imprisonment endured by the EPLF fighters. Was it challenging for you to write these scenes, especially knowing they were inspired by the lived experiences of your loved ones?

Those scenes, I wrote word for word. It is hard to hear them through the interviews and to know that my parents went through that. When I wrote them, I chose to put in as much detail as they gave me so I could accurately represent what they went through. It was difficult to write, and it is difficult to read. Imagine how difficult it must have been to experience it. I wanted to honor their bravery and sacrifice as much as I could by telling the story as truthfully and clearly as possible.

14. It was a surprise to learn that you are “Hiyab,” the beautiful creation of Elen and Girmai, born in a prison cell. How do you think being “born at the end of the world” shaped your life, both positively and negatively? In what ways has it instilled resilience and strength in your character?

I had originally written the story with real names, and when I made the decision to change them, I asked my mother what she would like to call my character. She chose the name Hiyab, which means gift. As she said this, she said, “because you are a gift to the world.” Connecting with my parents' stories and learning they sacrificed so much of themselves to take care of me so well that I am an adult who leads a full life with the ability to write a book, to teach, to have friendships, to travel to… do anything I want to do. This gives me a huge sense of responsibility to make the most of the life I have been given and fulfill my mother's hope that I can use my life to be a gift to the world. To spread joy, to teach, to learn, to stand up for what is right, and to hopefully one day leave this earth a little bit better than when I came into it in any way I am able. Every day, I remind myself of this responsibility, which gives me a sense of purpose to do the right thing whenever and wherever I can, so all the sacrifices my parents made on my behalf can be paid forward.

15. What is the main takeaway you hope readers will glean from Born at the End of the World?
    

I hope that readers will know that everyone has a story. We all walk this earth with our implicit biases in some ways that color and shape how we see those around us. Taking the time to learn the story behind the person gives us all a deeper and richer perspective which has that beautiful power to elevate our own lives. I hope those reading it will also turn to their elders and ask them to tell their stories and learn about their roots more. Having a sense of where you came from gives clarity to where you are now and the possibilities for where you could go.