Helen Oyeyemi Knihy

Set against the backdrop of 1953 Massachusetts, the narrative explores themes of beauty, race, and family secrets through Boy Novak's journey. Seeking a new life, she marries a widower and becomes stepmother to Snow, only to confront her own identity when her dark-skinned daughter, Bird, reveals the family's hidden racial dynamics. This inventive retelling of the Snow White fairy tale delves into the complexities of vanity and societal perceptions, showcasing Helen Oyeyemi's unique storytelling and profound insights into identity and self-worth.

**AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW**'A writer of sentences so elegant that they gleam.' ALI SMITH'A writer we should be delirious to have as a contemporary.'INDEPENDENTThe new novel from the Goldsmiths Prize-shortlisted author Helen Oyeyemi.Oyeyemi treats you to a kaleidoscopic weekend in Prague, as dazzli[Bokinfo].

Perdita Lee may appear to be your average British schoolgirl and Harriet Lee a working mother trying to penetrate the school social hierarchy, but there are signs that they might not be as normal as they think they are. For one thing, they share a gold-painted, seventh-floor flat with some surprisingly verbal vegetation. And then there's the gingerbread they make. Londoners may find themselves able to take or leave it, but it's very popular in Druhástrana, the far-away (and according to Wikipedia, non-existent) land of Harriet Lee's early youth. In fact, the world's truest lover of the Lee family gingerbread is Harriet's charismatic childhood friend, Gretel Kercheval, a figure who seems to have had a hand in everything that has happened to Harriet since they met. Decades later, when teenaged Perdita sets out to find her mother's long-lost friend, it prompts a new telling of Harriet's story. As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, wealth and real estate, gingerbread seems to be the one thing that reliably holds a constant value.

A collection of brand-new short stories written by prize-winning, bestselling writers and inspired by Kafka - published to commemorate the centenary of his death Chosen as a 2024 highlight in the Guardian, the Financial Times, the Daily Mail, New Statesman, Esquire and the New European Franz Kafka is widely regarded as one of the great geniuses of twentieth-century literature. What happens when some of the most original literary minds of today take an idea, a mood or a line from his work and use it to spark something new?From a future society who ask their AI servants to construct a giant tower to reach God; to a flat hunt that descends into a comically absurd bureaucratic nightmare; to a population experiencing a wave of unbearable, contagious panic attacks, these ten specially commissioned stories are by turns mind-bending, funny, unsettling and haunting. Inspired by the visionary imagination of a writer working one hundred years ago, they speak powerfully to the strangeness of being alive today.

When Rainclouds Gather: Escaping South Africa and his troubled past, Makehaya crosses the border to Botswana, in the hope of leading a peaceful, purposeful life. In the village of Golema Mmidi he meets Gilbert, a charismatic Englishman who is trying to modernise farming methods to benefit the community. The two outsiders join forces, but their task is fraught with hazards: opposition from the corrupt chief, the pressures of tradition, and the unrelenting climate ever threaten to bring tragedy. Maru: Margaret, an orphan from a despised tribe, has lived her life under the loving protection of a missionary's wife. She has only to open her mouth to cause confusion, for her education and English accent do not fit her looks. When she accepts her first teaching post, in a remote village, Margaret is befriended by Dikeledi, sister of Maru the chief-in-waiting. Despite making influential friends, Margaret faces prejudice even from the children she teaches, and her presence causes Maru and his best friend - also Dikeledi's lover - to become sworn enemies.

"What links each of the stories in Helen Oyeyemi's collection is keys: keys that are gifts, threats, invitations, gateways."--Back cover.

With distinct originality and grace, and an extraordinary gift for making the fantastic believable, Oyeyemi spins the politics of family and nation into a riveting and unforgettable tale.

'Funny, deep, shocking, wry, heartwarming and spine-chilling' The Guardian Mr Fox, by award-winning author Helen Oyeyemi, is a beautiful and immersive exploration of the labyrinthine world of imagination, storytelling and love. It's a bright afternoon in 1938 and Mary Foxe is in a confrontational mood. St John Fox, celebrated novelist, hasn't seen her in six years. He's unprepared for her afternoon visit, not least because she doesn't exist. He's infatuated with her. But he also made her up. Will Mr Fox meet his muse's challenge, to stop murdering his heroines and explore something of love? What will his wife Daphne think of this sudden change in her husband? Can there be a happy ending - this time? 'Oyeyemi reveals a twinkling sense of humour . . . A delight' The Independent

Jessamy Harrison is eight years old. Sensitive, whimsical, possessed of a powerful imagination, she spends hours writing, reading or simply hiding in the dark warmth of the airing cupboard. As the half-and-half child of an English father and a Nigerian mother, Jess just can't shake off the feeling of being alone wherever she goes, and other kids are wary of her terrified fits of screaming. When she is taken to her mother's family compound in Nigeria, she encounters Titiola, a ragged little girl her own age. It seems that at last Jess has found someone who will understand her. TillyTilly knows secrets both big and small. But as she shows Jess just how easy it is to hurt those around her, Jess begins to realise that she doesn't know who TillyTilly is at all.

A stunning new novel about a young jazz singer from the acclaimed author of The Icarus Girl