A Nigerian gothic if there is such a thing, focused on childhood, knowledge, revelation and concealment.

Identity means a lot to those who are in-between cultures and navigating the vagaries of race, Oyeyemi navigates bridges between Nigeria and England and metaphorically between life and death. The context is the influence of imaginary friends we all have in our childhood. Layered on top of this are belief systems about twins, superstition, tradition and modernity. The resort to psychologists in the west and perhaps to other cultural touchstones in Africa.

She embues a certain precocity in the language of her child protagonists and a sensitivity to the close monitoring of emotions of the parents and their interaction. She captures the mindset of a child, the scenes with the other children and their repartee is spot on. And what of the parents? Can one throw the heavy charge of selfishness to an eight year old if they are simply dealing with things as best they can? The story has an aura of mystery if not dread at times.

There is always an unsettling element to the narrative and it is fitting for a novel about what lies beneath or in the wilderness of a child’s mind.