Description

“Black gay American friends explore Ghana’s queer underground while a killer commits a grisly string of murders in this thrilling read.” -Guardian

2019, The Year of Return. It has been exactly 400 years since the first slave ships left Ghana for America. Ghana has now opened its doors to Black diasporans, encouraging them to return and get to know the land of their ancestors.

Elton, Vincent, and Scott arrive from America to visit preserved sites from the transatlantic slave route, and to explore the country’s underground queer scene. Their activities are narrated by their two combative guides: Kobby, their way into Accra’s privileged circles; and Nana, the voice of tradition and religious principle. The pair’s tense relationship sets the tone for what becomes a shocking and unsettling tale of murder that is at times funny, at times erotic, yet always outspoken and iconoclastic.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:

“The kind of book people study. It’s dark, frank, sharp-witted, and reflective. It immediately struck me as a classic and will undoubtedly linger in my thoughts for a while to come.” -Hannah on Netgalley

“What a marvellous debut for Ghanaian author Kobby Ben Ben. I devoured this book with gusto!” -Caleb on Netgalley

“Wow. Such a rollercoaster… One of the most powerful and intense books I read in a long time.” -Dmitri on Netgalley

“This is an epic and experimental book.” -Siobhan on Netgalley

Publisher Review

"Riotus, erotic, and thrilling, No One Dies Yet is a subversive and gripping tale that cements Kobby Ben Ben as a talented and provocative global voice." * Saleem Haddad, author of Guapa * "A bold, brash and erudite novel by a writer invested in the possibilities of language. Not just the nuances of Ghana's local languages, but also the lies and euphemisms a nation chooses to live by, whether rendered in irreverent English dipped in "imperialist deceit", or powered by native insults. For its unflinching exploration of sexual life in urban Ghana and its narrative experiments, it is important: a debut hinting at a promising future for Kobby Ben Ben. Ambitious in the scope of issues it tackles and expansive in its imaginative timeline, giving voice to both the quick and the dead, No One Dies Yet will stay with readers like a haunting." * Nii Parkes, author of Tail of the Blue Bird and Azucar * "No One Dies Yet is a glorious and experimental debut! Snatched from the first line, this book whipped me along its sharp turns and smoldering mystery. Kobby's storytelling audaciously defies genre; he masterfully weaves Ghanaian history of colonisation and enslavement, queer erotics, the supernatural, and the mundane in a manner that seems so effortless and reads smoothly. This book is darkly funny and surprising. Reading this was an adventure I'd go on again and again." * Francesca Ekwuyasi, author of Butter Honey Pig Bread * "A gorgeously sculpted book, No One Dies Yet is thrilling in a way that very few contemporary novels are. Kobby Ben Ben is a radical literary stylist on the rise." * Diriye Osman, author of The Butterfly Jungle * "A shocking and unsettling tale of murder. A genre-bending story by a powerful new voice." * The Bookseller - Editor's Choice *