What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours

by Helen Oyeyemi

Book Overview

"Transcendent." -- The New York Times Book Review "Flawless. . .?another masterpiece from an author who seems incapable of writing anything that's less than brilliant."?-- NPR From the award-winning author of Boy, Snow, Bird and Mr. Fox comes an enchanting collection of intertwined stories. ? Playful, ambitious, and exquisitely imagined, What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours is cleverly built around the idea of keys, literal and metaphorical. The key to a house, the key to a heart, the key to a secret--Oyeyemi's keys not only unlock elements of her characters' lives, they promise further labyrinths on the other side. In "Books and Roses" one special key opens a library, a garden, and clues to at least two lovers' fates. In "Is Your Blood as Red as This?" an unlikely key opens the heart of a student at a puppeteering school. "'Sorry' Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea" involves a "house of locks," where doors can be closed only with a key--with surprising, unobservable developments. And in "If a Book Is Locked There's Probably a Good Reason for That Don't You Think," a key keeps a mystical diary locked (for good reason). ? Oyeyemi's tales span multiple times and landscapes as they tease boundaries between coexisting realities. Is a key a gate, a gift, or an invitation? What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours captivates as it explores the many possible answers.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594634637
• ISBN13: 9781594634635
• Release Date: March 2016
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.3" x 8.1"