Mia Couto's first novel, judged one of the twelve best African books of the 20th century

"On almost every page of this witty magical realist whodunit, we sense Couto's delight on those places where language slips officialdom's asphyxiating grasp."--

Magical realism has deep roots across many African languages and regions. This book explores African magical realism from a transregional and inclusive approach

Once defined by her career and independence, stay-at-home mom Samantha Friedman realizes her life has become a routine of errands, car pools and suburban gossip

Eschewing the postcolonial hubris that suggests Africa could only define itself in relation to its colonizers, a problem plaguing many studies published in the