Nebulous by Hannes Barnard explores existentialism and the teenage invincibility complex in a thought-provoking, endearing coming-of-age tale. Best friends Rufus and Xandr set out on one last adventure before Rufus moves abroad, only to face a monumental, unexpected challenge. The story encapsulates the highs, lows, fears, and discoveries of adolescence.

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Book Description:

When your best friend is moving a continent away, the last hurrah has to be epic. Rufus and Xandr are sneaking away during the holidays but as crazy as their plan is, it won’t ever approach the reality that is about to hit them.

“What does the end look like? Like that black and orange cloud on the horizon coming closer each day? What I do know, however, without a shadow of doubt, is that this whole thing was a bad idea. Stuck in the middle of freaking nowhere without any means of transport, enough food, or the faintest idea of what’s going on.”

Rufus and Xandr have known each other forever. To call them best friends is an understatement. However, Rufus’s dad decided that his family must emigrate. As these two best friends prepare to wave each other farewell, they plan one last adventure together . . .

Author Bio:

Hannes Barnard is a multi-genre fiction author of Afrikaans and English novels. In 2019 he debuted with the Afrikaans version of Halley’s Comet with the English version following in 2022. Between 2020 and 2024 his apocalyptic YA trilogy, Wolk, Roet, and Vuur captivates readers and critics alike. He is currently working on the translation of these titles – and writing political thrillers in-between.

What was the main inspiration behind Nebulous?

It all started with a “what if” thought. At the time, I was living in an apartment on a hill with a beautiful view of the mountains on the horizon. I was standing alone on the balcony, having a BBQ (braai), when something caught my eye. In the distance, above the mountains, there was a dark, ominous-looking cloud. It seemed angry.

A thought hit me: what if that angry cloud brought the apocalypse? And what if everything was destroyed except me—and the chops and sausages on my BBQ?

That sparked a process of deciding who the poor souls would be that I would put through this apocalyptic ordeal, where it should be set, and all the other elements of the story. The idea brewed in my head for six months before I finally put pen to paper.

What draws you to writing young adult fiction, and how does it influence the way you approach your characters and storylines?

I thoroughly enjoy writing young adult and teen characters. It’s such a turbulent time in your life—changing body, changing hormones, standing on the gangplank between childhood and adulthood. There’s experimentation, a deeper understanding of trust and mistrust, and the process of finding your voice and beliefs. It’s a time of extreme highs and lows, and of searching for your own identity.

There’s also beauty in discovery: seeing and experiencing things for the first time, making decisions based on the weight of the moment rather than experience. It’s a time of hope and a sense of unlimited opportunity. Of course, this is a general perspective—there is also immense pain and loss for many—but the way younger characters engage with their emotions and circumstances is raw and exciting for a writer. They’re not yet bound by the constraints of adulting.

As a young adult novel, the story explores themes of adolescence, the desire for independence, sexuality, and friendship. How did you balance these themes with the momentum of the story?

I don’t write with themes in mind; I’m story-driven. I only really discovered the themes after finishing the manuscript. That said, I did want to challenge my characters. Once I knew they would be two seventeen-year-old best friends about to encounter an apocalyptic event, I wanted to layer their experience by adding a few more ominous clouds, so to speak.

I needed to answer questions like: why would they be on their own, and where would they go? That’s why I wanted to test their relationship—through Rufus's emigration, and through the question of sex. Getting to know the characters and their backstories naturally leads to dialogue, and from dialogue and personality, their physical and emotional journeys lead to themes. I like writing organically, discovering the story as I go.

What was the experience like for you when switching between different POVs while writing? Did you find yourself drawn to, or enjoying, one particular POV more than the others?

This story cried out for two perspectives—two points of view of, broadly speaking, the same events. I wanted to experience what both characters saw and felt through their own eyes. The biggest challenge was authenticity.

I can’t say I enjoyed one POV more than the other; both brought fun and surprises. Please don’t make me choose between two characters I love!

What stands out to you about Rufus and Xander as individual characters, and in what ways do you see them as oppositional or mirroring one another?

They’ve been best friends since they were babies, so there are similarities in their perspective, language, and worldview. But each has a very distinct voice, which was both fun and challenging to write.

I love Xandr’s offbeat sense of humour, and with Rufus, I really enjoyed bringing in the Tori Amos element. Rufus tends to approach things logically, while Xandr’s ideas are far more random and unconstrained. The way they handle fear and pressure is different, and even their taste in music is oppositional.

What’s lovely, though, is how well they balance each other. Rufus makes the plan, and Xandr—once convinced—goes all in, throwing caution (and his innate fears) to the wind.

When you began writing, did you have a strong sense of who each character was from the start, or did they develop more organically as the story progressed?

I had a rough outline and a general sense of who they were, but the characters developed organically as the story unfolded. I prefer writing this way because it turns me into a reader as well—discovering the characters and the story as the book progresses.

Some of the chapters are very short and to the point, almost mimicking the characters’ thought processes. Can you talk about what informed your decision to write in this style?

It was a deliberate choice—perhaps influenced by my own limited attention span at times. Thoughts are often fleeting, and I wanted to mirror that. Short chapters also help with momentum and tempo. I want readers to experience the pace of the story in the same way the characters do.

And, of course, I love the idea of a reader seeing a one-page chapter and thinking, “Just one more before I go to sleep.”

Did you intentionally weave elements of foreshadowing into the earlier chapters to hint at what was to come at the end of the novel?

Yes. I wanted readers to sense that all is not what it seems—that something potentially catastrophic is brewing, and that there’s more at stake than a friendship dilemma. It also allows the reader to know just a little more than the characters, which felt necessary for this story.

As this is a trilogy, what was your writing process like when it came to planning the overall storyline and the characters’ arcs across the series?

When I started writing the first book, I had no idea I was embarking on a trilogy. That only became clear after I finished Book One. I put the manuscript down, reread the final pages, and just knew there was so much more to tell. It had to be a trilogy.

Interestingly, I never considered two or four books—it simply felt right. Perhaps some of that is selfishness on my part, both as a writer and a reader. I wanted to spend more time with Rufus and Xandr (and Flip the dog, of course), to understand what caused all of this, and ultimately to find out whether this really was the end of everything—or not.

Are the ancient legends in the story about the growing storm fictionalized, or are they based on real-life myths? If they draw from existing legends, did you do any research while developing them?

They’re fictionalized but grounded in real elements of myth. South Africa has a rich history of ancient cave paintings. Some are quite literal, while others feel deeply mythical or supernatural and open to interpretation.

My research was largely observational—a lifetime of visiting caves and overhangs with rock art. It’s been a fascination since childhood. I used this history as a vessel to add another layer to the story and to build a metaphorical bridge between ancient and modern times.

Did you run into any unexpected challenges or surprises when writing?

You’re constantly surprised when you write organically. For instance, the main villain’s first appearance in the shop completely surprised me. Before I knew it, he was there in all his awful glory. In many ways, that mirrors real life—you don’t plan for villains; they appear when you least expect them.

Another surprise was the dynamic between Rufus and Xandr in the cave—the awkwardness that can suddenly arise with someone you felt completely comfortable with just days before. That was an enjoyable and enlightening section to write.

What do you hope readers take away from Nebulous after finishing it?