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In this intriguing debut by  Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ, we are introduced to two young girls Ozoemena and Treasure, whose coming of age takes place in a boarding school in Nigeria. Their meeting is set against the backdrop of familial loss and tragedy. 

We watch them try to navigate the realities of coming of age and into themselves in a society that doesn’t always give them space to do that.


Treasure has experienced the violence of patriarchy and the institutions which support it and has to make difficult decisions when approached by a dark spirit.

 Ozoemena has to contend with a different spiritual identity when her uncle dies. 


In this novel, filled with Igbo mythology and fascinating metaphysical occurrences, African oral histories are brought to the forefront.

We sat with Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ as we explored what it means to write a genre bending coming of age novel as a debut.

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