Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda - Paperback - May 15th, 2024

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

Set in Lagos, Nigeria, ‘Pemi’s stories unfold against a spectral cityscape where the everyday business of living—the birth of a baby, a market visit, a conversation between mothers and daughters—is charged with an air of supernatural menace. In “Breastmilk” a new mother’s inability to lactate takes on preternatural overtones. In “24, Alhaji Williams Street” a mysterious disease wreaks havoc with frightening precision. In “The Hollow,” an architect stumbles on a vengeful house.

The twelve dazzling stories in this collection explores the tension between our yearning to be individuals and the ways we are haunted by what came before. Powered by a deep empathy, and glinting with humour and insight, they announce a major new literary talent.