'Pemi Aguda

A debut collection of stories set in a hauntingly reimagined Lagos where characters vie for freedom from ancestral ties.

Stories

Ghostroots

taylor miles hopkins

No, she doesn't think she is a spirit. But how is a spirit different from an unrecognized body, a body with no connections, nothing tethering it?

Because I am starting to feel Iike one of Baby's toys that cannot even say yes or no. Is this what it means when you are a daughter?

What is a house but a large handbag with many hidden zippers and pockets?

I overall liked these a lot—Manifest was an incredibly strong start to these short stories. 

Admittedly, it sometimes felt like I was handed a wrapped gift to only rip a tiny sliver, unveiling vibrant and exciting contents. But rather than fully seeing what’s inside, we’re quickly handed another gift to repeat the same process. 

To be fair, I think that these are meant to be more in line with local lore/folk stories that we tell about a place, a family, anything unnerving. There’s enough that’s weird and off to be significant, but not supernatural enough to be unbelievable (ie what details we build up to create a haunted house full of ghosts).

Taking these too far would lean more into a fantasy realm, detracting from the types of stories I think these are meant to be. BUT man, was there some fun potential to get really wild! I did often feel that these felt unfinished or still had pieces to explore which is maybe what is more pressing to me. I love an open-ended conclusion! But I’m not sure all of these felt truly resolved to me. 

24, Alhaji Williams Street (tense in such a good way, wanted more at the end!)

The Dusk Market (LOVED and felt like the strongest arc)

Masquerade Season (a little predictable but enjoyed the surrealism and imagery)

I overall liked these a lot—Manifest was an incredibly strong start to these short stories. 

Admittedly, it sometimes felt like I was handed a wrapped gift to only rip a tiny sliver, unveiling vibrant and exciting contents. But rather than fully seeing what’s inside, we’re quickly handed another gift to repeat the same process. 

To be fair, I think that these are meant to be more in line with local lore/folk stories that we tell about a place, a family, anything unnerving. There’s enough that’s weird and off to be significant, but not supernatural enough to be unbelievable (ie what details we build up to create a haunted house full of ghosts).

Taking these too far would lean more into a fantasy realm, detracting from the types of stories I think these are meant to be. BUT man, was there some fun potential to get really wild! I did often feel that these felt unfinished or still had pieces to explore which is maybe what is more pressing to me. I love an open-ended conclusion! But I’m not sure all of these felt truly resolved to me. 

Notable ones to me:

Manifest (woah)

The Hollow

24, Alhaji Williams Street (tense in such a good way, wanted more at the end!)

Birdwoman

The Wonders of the World

The Dusk Market (LOVED and felt like the strongest arc)

Masquerade Season (a little predictable but enjoyed the surrealism and imagery)

I really enjoyed this book of speculative fiction set in Nigeria. Living in Africa is to read stories in newspapers or on your local town news of local myths, stories of women giving birth to yams, goats, people being cured of ailments by local witches. Pemi Aguda captured perfectly the quotidian life in Nigeria with the fabulation that are part of day to day gossip. I could really feel like I was in my village in Uganda. I know this book is being received as magical realism outside the continent but I can’t stress how often you hear a story like the ones in this book in the local news. These stories are part of our society as a way to maintain social cohesion as they are mostly tales of punishment after bad behaviour. Various anthropologists have argued that gossip is a form of political action to maintain order in societies as the ones in Aguda’s stories.

Pemi Aguda uses folklore and fantasy to capture a society with all its contradictions, the effects of patriarchal masculinity, neoliberalism in nigeria, inter generational trauma, traditional vs modern values. Solid debut from a new author

Marion

I really enjoyed this book of speculative fiction set in Nigeria. Living in Africa is to read stories in newspapers or on your local town news of local myths, stories of women giving birth to yams, goats, people being cured of ailments by local witches. Pemi Aguda captured perfectly the quotidian life in Nigeria with the fabulation that are part of day to day gossip. I could really feel like I was in my village in Uganda. I know this book is being received as magical realism outside the continent but I can’t stress how often you hear a story like the ones in this book in the local news. These stories are part of our society as a way to maintain social cohesion as they are mostly tales of punishment after bad behaviour. Various anthropologists have argued that gossip is a form of political action to maintain order in societies as the ones in Aguda’s stories.

Pemi Aguda uses folklore and fantasy to capture a society with all its contradictions, the effects of patriarchal masculinity, neoliberalism in nigeria, inter generational trauma, traditional vs modern values. Solid debut from a new author



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