This House Is Not for Sale Capa dura - 2015

"The timelessness of this ambitious debut reminds the reader of J. M. Coetzee's Life & Times of Michael K."--Yiyun Li, author of The Vagrants

A powerful tale of family and community, This House Is Not for Sale brings to life an African neighborhood and one remarkable house, seen through the eyes of a young member of the household. It lies in a town seemingly lost in time, full of colorful, larger-than-life characters. At the narrative's heart are Grandpa, the family patriarch, whose occasional cruelty is balanced by his willingness to open his doors to those in need, and the house itself, which becomes a character in its own right and takes on the scale of legend.

From the decades-long rivalry between the owners of two competing convenience stores to the man who persuades his neighbors to give up their earthly possessions to prepare for the end of the world, E. C. Osondu's story captures a place beyond the reach of the outside world, full of superstitions and myths that sustain its people. His prose has the lightness and magic of fable, but his themes--poverty, disease, the arrival of civilization in an isolated community--are timeless and profound.

"Remarkable. . . . a distinctive and singular achievement."--Jeffery Renard Allen, author of Song of the Shank

"Marvelous."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)