Description

‘Sometimes characters are so lively and entertaining, you don’t want to say goodbye to them … A stunning feat of storytelling in itself’ Suzy Feay, Financial Times

Growing up in Brooklyn with their Caribbean parents, Zora and Sasha Porter’s days were enchanted by stories from the islands – the mischievous spider Anansi both seductive and vengeful; the flame-breathing Rolling Calf who haunts butchers; and ocean-dwelling Mama Dglo, said to be half snake, half human.

Now they are teenagers, and life at home has become unbearable. Their parents’ tempestuous relationship has fallen apart, their mother Beatrice desperately ill, their father Nigel living with another woman. While an unsettled Zora escapes into her journal, dreaming of being a writer, Sasha discovers sex and chest binding, spending more time with her new girlfriend than at home. But they can’t hide forever. The Anansi Stories that captivated them as children begin to creep into the present, revealing truths about the Porter family’s past they must all face up to.

The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts is an extraordinary debut novel, a celebration of the power of stories that asks – what happens when ours are erased? Do we disappear? Or do we come back haunting?

A Today Show Most Anticipated Book of 2023
An Electric Literature Recommendation for 2023
A Goodreads Buzziest Debut of 2023

Publisher Review

A beautiful ode to the power of storytelling, this novel is steeped in the folklore of the Caribbean and weaves a powerful narrative of identity, trauma, resilience and hope. Palmer's dynamic and sometimes playful prose had me hooked from the beginning and each character was rounded, nuanced and will stay with me long after reading -- Eleanor Shearer, author of River Sing Me Home An all-consuming novel about sisterhood, motherhood, belonging, loss, and self-discovery. Soraya Palmer's characters are unparalleled and her prose is musical. Read this novel with a sibling, a cousin, or a very close friend -- De'Shawn Winslow, author of In the West Mills and winner of Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize A brilliant, compelling exploration of familial legacies. A mythic and edifying read -- Irenosen Okojie, author of Speak Gigantular At once mischievous and warm, Soraya Palmer's voice will bewitch you from the very first page, leading you through the complexities of sisterhood and motherhood, belonging and loss -- Mina Seckin, author of The Four Humors The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts envisions family as always in motion, careening through history, connection, attachment, discovery and warmth, with all the pain, loss, and even violence that might include. Expertly paced, deeply imagined, by turns playful and heartbreaking, I love the way this novel understands that sometimes nothing will sustain us except the right story that is truer than true -- Madeline ffitch, author of Stay and Fight Playful and deft -- Daphne Palasi Andreades, author of Brown Girls Palmer weaves folktales and magical realism in her moving debut ... Palmer brings whimsy to her portrayal of the family even in painful moments-such as when Beatrice tells the girls fables to cheer them up-and nuance to the evolving attitudes of the Black American and Caribbean people in Sasha's orbit toward her exploration of sexuality and gender identity. This will stick with readers -- Publisher's Weekly Vivid and otherworldly, this masterfully told novel brings together many threads of family history, personal memory, collective choices, sexuality, and a realm of mysteries and mythic creatures with deep origins and powers . . . A striking and imaginative debut -- Booklist