Advance praise for Vagabonds! : “A vibrant blend of big-city life and contemporary mythology.” —The New York Times “A novel as vivid and varied as the city [of Lagos] itself.” —Harper’s Bazaar “If you read one debut novel in 2022, this should be it. With care, compassion and a gimlet eye for hypocrisy, Osunde builds a universe from Lagos, Nigeria’s little-seen citizens: The gay, the trans, the abused and others. Magical realism works to great effect in connecting these stories, especially when spirits Tatafo and Èkó are involved, and readers will remain rapt to the end.” —Los Angeles Times “I’m in awe of Osunde’s writing. . . I can’t wait for others to delve into the joyous, defiant world she has rendered for her debut novel, Vagabonds.” —Caleb Azumah Nelson, Entertainment Weekly “Stunning and vivid . . . . Blending the mythical, the fantastical, and the real, Vagabonds! is a deeply-imaginative work and a celebration of the diversity of Lagos society.” —Teen Vogue “A tour de force of magical realism . . . Vagabonds! takes us deep inside the hearts, minds, and bodies of a people in duress—and in triumph—in a way that only the best fiction can do.” —Poets & Writers “Vagabonds! will break your heart even as it restores your spirit.” —Philadelphia Inquirer “Vagabonds! . . . arrests you. It sits you down and compels you to look at [its] characters, all of whom are wholly formed and terrifyingly real.” —Mic “Magnificent. . . pulls off a triumphant celebration of queer survival. Throughout, Osunde crafts compassionate prose and seamlessly combines magic and grit. . . . A stunning introduction to a bold new writer.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review “A powerful debut novel about the power of love and stories to save people shunned by society for being themselves. . . Osunde revels in the joy of storytelling to render a city and its outsiders in all their flaws and glory.” — Kirkus; starred review “An arresting and dazzling tale with a surprising elixir of lyricism and pidgin. . . Osunde’s inventive and unique story releases its message like a confetti f percipience.” — Booklist; starred review “You don’t read this novel. You swan dive into its sea of gods and monsters, lost girls, violent boys, and well-behaved people both righteous and wicked. And when you finally surface, that sound will be you, gasping in wonder.” —Marlon James “A triumph of a book. In Vagabonds! you will discover queer people finding ways to love each other in a society that outlaws queerness, and an explosive portrait of Nigeria that will blow your mind—in prose that feels so alive it practically vibrates off the page. A masterpiece.” —Lidia Yuknavitch “A feast of a book, a marvelous ode to spirits and outsiders that is irreverent (and painfully funny) while being serious enough to drill a hole in one’s chest. There is nothing in the world like this book.” —Lesley Nneka Arimah “ Vagabonds! offers a dazzling, hypnotic portrait of lives lived on the margins. Through Eloghosa Osunde’s supreme imagination, the binary of reality and fantasy is shattered in poetic, kaleidoscopic color.” —T Kira Madden “Full of surprising, tender, biting language, Eloghosa Osunde’s Vagabonds! sets a stage where gods play personal games with human lives. For its shape-shifting images, for its honesty, for the opportunity to sit with joy and discomfort—both necessary mortal things—this novel astounded me.” —Dantiel W. Moniz
ISBN: 978-0-593-54151-7
