Dazzling

A bewitching and immersive Nigerian magic realist novel from an extraordinary literary voice, for fans of Chigozie Obioma, Abi Daré and Deepa Anappara

Soon you will become the thing all other beasts fear.

Treasure and her mother lost everything when Treasure's daddy died. Haggling for scraps in the market, Treasure meets a spirit who promises to bring her father back — but she has to do something for him first.

Ozoemena has an itch in the middle of her back that can't be scratched. An itch that speaks to her patrilineal destiny, to defend her people by becoming a leopard. Her father impressed upon her what an honour this was before he vanished, but it's one she couldn't want less. But as the two girls reckon with their burgeoning wildness and the legacy of their fathers' decisions, Ozoemena's fellow students at her new boarding school start to vanish.

Treasure and Ozoemena will face terrible choices as each must ask herself: in a world that always says 'no' to women, what must two young girls sacrifice to get what is theirs?

'A rich tapestry of African mythology and magic' — Cherie Jones
'Bursting with magic, bright and visceral' — Jennifer Saint
'A feast of shimmering, beautiful prose' — Chika Unigwe
'Unexpected, explosive and deeply satisfying' — Melissa Fu
'Uncanny and affecting in equal measure' — T. L. Huchu

ISBN: 9781472289650 | Published: 14 February 2023 | Trade paperback | 352 pages