Things They Lost

by Okwiri Oduor

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Pub Date 14 Apr 2022 | Archive Date 21 Apr 2022

Oneworld Publications

Literary Fiction | Women's Fiction

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Description

Ayosa is a wandering spirit – joyous and filled to the brim with longing. Her only companions in her grandmother's crumbling house are as lonely as Ayosa herself: the ghostly Fatumas, the sullen milkman and Sindano, the owner of a café that no one ever visits.

But a curse hangs over the women in Ayosa’s family, a curse which has blighted the life of her mother, Nabumbo Promise. When her new friend Mbui offers her an alternative life, one that would involve leaving Nabumbo Promise behind, Ayosa must decide how much she owes her fearsome, mercurial mama.

Set at the intersection of the spirit world and the human one, suffused with Kenyan folklore and myth, Things They Lost is an unforgettable novel about love at its most intoxicating, from a standout new literary voice.

Ayosa is a wandering spirit – joyous and filled to the brim with longing. Her only companions in her grandmother's crumbling house are as lonely as Ayosa herself: the ghostly Fatumas, the sullen...

Advance Praise

'A wondrous newborn - mewling, dewy, twinkling, gurgling a tale steeped in the acrid surrealism of childhood, populated by wicked wraiths and held together by the vicious spell mothers can cast on their daughters.' Leila Aboulela, author of Bird Summons

'A wondrous newborn - mewling, dewy, twinkling, gurgling a tale steeped in the acrid surrealism of childhood, populated by wicked wraiths and held together by the vicious spell mothers can cast on...

Available Editions

EDITION	Hardcover
ISBN	9780861543878
PRICE	£16.99 (GBP)

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Additional Information

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Featured Reviews

Katie S, Educator

A story of love and loneliness. Beautiful and amazing debut. Ayosa lives in a small African town under the shadow of her here-today-gone-tomorrow mother, but one day she meets a friend who could change everything.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

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Aria H, Reviewer

I coveted this book as soon as I saw the front cover and I was so thankful that I was granted the chance to read it. Omg this book was incredible. It is so beautifully written and so poignant full of vivid descriptions and rich imagery that made me feel like I was in the pages too. Full of magic and shrouded in mystery it really is a great read.