Description

The supernatural looms over the grime and sweat of everyday life in Lagos in this dazzling collection of stories from a prize-winning young Nigerian writer.

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CAINE PRIZE FOR AFRICAN WRITING

‘Thrilling and disturbing’ Financial Times
‘Excellently uncanny’ Daily Mail
‘You’ll find it hard to tear yourself away’ Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us

The Lagos of these twelve sinister and beguiling stories is multi-faceted, peopled by Pentecostal Christians and exasperated atheists; by tight-knit extended families and struggling single fathers. Here are characters cursed by guilt, bound by the ties of ancestors and community; or enchanted by the allure of mysticism and would-be prophets. There are gossips and party girls – and a schoolboy followed home by a group of tribal masquerades, cloaked in feathers and twinkling beads. Yes, his mother has warned him not to bring strangers home, but he is sure she will understand …

Exploring the dark borders between psychology and superstition, these feverishly imaginative stories of trauma, betrayal, terror and love lay bare the forces of myth, tradition, gender, sexuality and modernity in Nigerian society. Powered by a deep empathy, and glinting with humour and insight, they announce a major new literary talent.

INCLUDING THE STORY ‘BREASTMILK’, SHORTLISTED FOR THE CAINE PRIZE FOR AFRICAN WRITING 2024

Publisher Review

The eerie and the everyday are perfectly aligned in these twelve stories set in the hustle and bustle of Lagos in Nigeria … excellently uncanny * Daily Mail * A thrilling work by a truly sublime and imaginative writer. ‘Pemi Aguda’s stories are both absorbing and terrifying in the most delightful and addictive way … you’ll find it hard to tear yourself away from the pages — Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us Beautifully strange and delightfully unexpected, each story is a tiny wonder. I’m desperate to read more from ‘Pemi Aguda — Kirsty Logan, author of The Unfamiliar Ghostroots is the kind of collection you dream of discovering and reading – from one of my favorite living writers * Jeff VanderMeer, author of Hummingbird Salamander * A marvellously unsettling collection where the everyday strangeness of life and the uncanny rub up against each other to create real fire * Kelly Link, author of White Cat, Black Dog * ‘Pemi Aguda is an astonishing talent. She’s inventive with form and playful with sentences. In Ghostroots, the delightful speculative conceits of the stories are elegantly, even architecturally, balanced with the gorgeous fullness of human emotion, all the hunger and longing and fear and delight of being a human being in the world. A wonderful collection from a truly gifted writer * Lauren Groff, author of The Vaster Wilds * ‘Pemi Aguda is spectacular. This book is a big, strong river. Once you are caught in its currents, you flow with it no matter where it runs. And it runs through gorgeous and startling places * Luis Alberto Urrea, author of Good Night, Irene * In this perceptive and astute collection, ‘Pemi Aguda tells of the metaphysical cracks on the surface of contemporary Nigerian society with an uncompromising humane touch — Emmanuel Iduma, author of I Am Still With You Here you’ll find breathtaking stories of the familiar and the strange, full of empathy for characters trying to bridge chasms between communities, families, generations, and their ghosts. ‘Pemi Aguda builds worlds with blade-like acuity. You’ll be caught in their sway and transported. — Diane Cook, author of The New Wilderness I loved everything about this book, which heralds a major and extraordinary new voice in fiction. ‘Pemi Aguda knows where the real magic is, and she gives it all its gorgeousness, all its teeth. These stories consumed me. I’ll be thinking about them for years to come — Clare Beams, author of The Garden Ghostroots is a triumph! The author’s strong storytelling skills give readers the gift of realistic characters and darkly imaginative stories that creep under your skin and stay buried there. Disturbing, enthralling and unforgettable. ‘Pemi Aguda is now among my favourites. — Tananarive Due, author of The Reformatory Where to even start? This is one of the finest collections I have read. Inventive, cunning, original, and all conveyed with impeccable prose. And what a voice, what a unique vision. These stories read like only ‘Pemi Aguda could have written them, with her distinct style and an unshakable sensibility evident in every sly turn of story, taking the narrative in perfect, unpredictable directions. Nothing short of phenomenal — Lesley Nneka Arimah, author of What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky The 12 thought-provoking speculative stories, featuring mostly women protagonists, a strong narrative voice, and a focus on the unsettling results of generational divides, lay bare the universal human experience, illuminating the menace that constantly lurks just below the surface … Aguda’s excellent story collection deserves a wide audience * Library Journal *