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Dazzling
On sale
16th February 2023
Price: £18.99
‘I am truly dazzled’ TRACY CHEVALIER
‘A rich tapestry of African mythology and magic’ CHERIE JONES
‘Bursting with magic, bright and visceral’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘One of the brightest stars in the literary world’ KIRSTY LOGAN
‘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 do something for him first.
Ozoemena has an itch in the middle of her back that can’t be scratched. An itch that speaks to her patrilineal destiny, 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 terrible choices as each must ask herself: in a world that always says ‘no’ to women, what must two young girls sacrifice to get what is theirs?
‘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
‘A rich tapestry of African mythology and magic’ CHERIE JONES
‘Bursting with magic, bright and visceral’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘One of the brightest stars in the literary world’ KIRSTY LOGAN
‘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 do something for him first.
Ozoemena has an itch in the middle of her back that can’t be scratched. An itch that speaks to her patrilineal destiny, 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 terrible choices as each must ask herself: in a world that always says ‘no’ to women, what must two young girls sacrifice to get what is theirs?
‘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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Reviews
I was bewitched... I would not have guessed this was first novel; Emelumadu seems to have writing naturally in the blood
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.
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.
I struggled to come up with a line that captures the magic within. Emelumadu's singular debut is uncanny and affecting in equal measure.
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.
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.
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.
I am truly dazzled. Emelumadu has revealed surprising layers of our world and given me the eyes to see them.
Dazzling is an erudite, original and beautifully written first novel. Chikodili Emelumadu is a writer to watch.
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.
I've just turned the final page of Dazzling and my heart is still thumping. This is an absolute tour de force: rich and tender, tinged with fire. The characters are alive, every page is pulsing with magic, and it has a python-like plot, so coiled and clever. Prepare to be moved and gripped and utterly invested in the story of Treasure and Ozoemena. I'm desperate to see what Chikodili Emelumadu writes next...
This book deserves its title; an extraordinary debut packed with supernatural wonders, human emotion and fiercely drawn, visceral characters. . . Gripping, otherworldly and unforgettable, this excellent novel means Emelumadu is definitely one to watch.
An incredible debut novel about two girls on the cusp of womanhood in Nigeria. . . Vivid, compelling and original.
Rich in Nigerian mythology and treading into the sphere of magical realism, Dazzling is a deeply immersive, feminist read about heritage, girlhood, and justice. With a strong narrative and vivid prose, this new release is sure to keep you entranced from start to finish.
Chikodili Emelumadu is one of the brightest stars in the literary world right now. I loved Dazzling and can't wait to see her continue to ascend.
An otherworldly vision of Nigeria . . . lit up by wisecracks, folk wisdom, the idiosyncrasies of boarding-school life, and those quirky turns of phrase Nigerians have given to the rest of humanity.
Evocative and a little mysterious, this literary fantasy is immersive and full of Nigerian mythology. Recommend this lustrous coming-of-age story to those who like to read across genres.
