Akwaeke Emezi structures this memoir as a series of letters addressed to friends, lovers, and fellow writers. The narrative centers on the author's identity as an ogbanje—an Igbo spirit child inhabiting a human body. Emezi describes the physical surgeries undergone to align their body with this non-human reality and details the internal conflict of living within a restrictive material world. The text outlines the author’s transition from a struggling debut novelist to a successful figure in the publishing industry, mapping out the costs of creative ambition and the rituals used to maintain spiritual autonomy.
Artists and writers seeking a blueprint for professional independence will find a roadmap for protecting their creative output from market demands. Readers interested in non-Western metaphysical perspectives learn how to decenter colonial medical frameworks in favor of indigenous spiritual understandings. The book provides a look at the discipline required to build a life around private truths, leaving the reader with a concrete example of how to prioritize individual sovereignty over social integration.
- Published
- 2021
- Language
- EN
