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  3. Dazzling: A bewitching tale of magic steeped in Nigerian mythology
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Dazzling: A bewitching tale of magic steeped in Nigerian mythology

Chikodili Emelumadu

8 Reviews

Rated 0

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Fantasy, Myth & legend told as fiction

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

'I am truly dazzled' TRACY CHEVALIER

'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

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 complete a monstrous task for him first.

Ozoemena has an itch in the middle of her back that can't be scratched. An itch that tells of her great and terrible destiny, passed down through generations, 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 frightening choices as they are drawn into battle with sinister forces - and it's a fight they can't both survive.

'Deftly conjured' GUARDIAN

'Erudite, original and beautifully written' CHRISTIE WATSON

'Unexpected, explosive and deeply satisfying' MELISSA FU

'A masterful storm' DOREEN CUNNINGHAM 'Uncanny and affecting in equal measure' T. L. HUCHU

'One hell of a book' MEG CLOTHIER

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Praise for Dazzling: A bewitching tale of magic steeped in Nigerian mythology

  • Emelumadu's novel is a magnificent coming of age story, empathetic in its exploration of character and culture within a rich tapestry of African mythology and magic.

  • A vibrant, immersive read that takes the reader on a dizzying journey through Nigerian mythology - Emelumadu does what I love best in this novel: she lays bare human weaknesses and celebrates female strength; she builds a world bursting with magic, bright and visceral; she has created two immensely memorable protagonists and woven a story that will linger in my mind for a long time.

  • Dazzling is a feast of shimmering , beautiful prose. Dark and humorous in places, it is an incessantly pleasurable read. Emelumadu has gifted us a thing of beauty.

  • Chikodili Emelumadu has written one hell of a book. Dazzling is bold, funny, louche, smart, shocking and very, very addictive. It seizes you by the scruff of the neck & plunges you into a world packed with juicy characters, macabre magic and plotting to die for. I loved it.

  • On starting Chikodili Emelumadu's Dazzling, I was immediately impressed by her virtuosic facility with language and fierce imagination. Enchanted by both Ozoemena and Treasure, I wondered how their parallel stories would come together. As the novel progressed, I became increasingly intrigued with its magical realism and folklore. The storylines converge in an unexpected, explosive, and deeply satisfying conclusion that had me turning right back to the beginning to appreciate all that I missed the first time round. Bravo! I envy other readers their first and subsequent reads.

  • I am truly dazzled. Emelumadu has revealed surprising layers of our world and given me the eyes to see them.

  • I struggled to come up with a line that captures the magic within. Emelumadu's singular debut is uncanny and affecting in equal measure.

  • This book is a masterful storm. The voices are so precise and clear they cut you. Reading through the pages took me deep into the dappled world of Ozoemena and her leopard, and I will never be able to leave.

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Chikodili Emelumadu

Chikodili Emelumadu was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire and raised in Awka, Nigeria. A product of not one but two Nigerian boarding schools, she went on to attend Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nigeria and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. She was the winner of the Curtis Brown First Novel Prize in 2019. Her work has also been shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Awards (2015), a Nommo Award (2020) and the Caine Prize for African Literature (2017 & 2020).

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