City girl Simi is sent to stay with her long-lost grandmother in a remote Nigerian village.
There’s no TV, internet or phone. Not a single human-made sound can be heard at night, just the noise of birds and animals rustling in the dark forest outside.
Her witchlike grandmother dispenses advice and herbal medicine to the village, but she’s tight lipped about their family history. Something must have happened, but what? Determined to find out, Simi disobeys her grandmother and goes exploring. Caught in the sinking red quicksand of a forbidden lake, her fantastical journey begins …
This is billed as a fantasy, but it's mostly a love letter to Nigeria and its beautiful, enchanted landscape. There is a fantasy element, but it's mostly background to the story of a young city girl discovering her history and her place in Nigeria's folklore.
I'm always thrilled to learn folklore I didn't know before, and shamefully I don't know much African folklore. I'll have to remedy that going forward, because these are beautiful stories, full of heart and hope and pain, just the kind I like. I'm very eager to learn more.
Efua beautifully evokes the sights, sounds and smells of Nigeria, both in the jungle that's our main setting and in Lagos, a bustling city that's completely in contrast. I felt as I though I were there, watching along with Siri as she puts the clues together and figures out what's going on and what needs to be done to solve it. I was fascinated.
This is a wonderful book and I hope Efua writes many more. I'm excited to read them.
Children of the Quicksands publishes on the 3rd of June, 2021. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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