An urgent and unforgettable work of magical realism following a young man coming of age in rural West Africa as he bears witness to the violence, upheaval, and hope in a rapidly changing society

After touching a forbidden leaf that his father warns will trap him in astral planes, young Ekwe embarks on a journey across West Africa and back to his own village, where his twelve-year-old sister is being pressured to marry a wealthy adult suitor. Ekwe becomes obsessed with how much their lives would improve if she married this man, but Oyibo, stubborn and proud, resists the path that is laid out for her.

A Siege of Owls does not shy away from tragedy, yet the prose’s lush lyricism and surprising comedy offer hope and grace in spite of its depiction of social upheaval. A love story takes shape as family and land disintegrate and re-form; characters are rendered fully dimensional while still being executors of violence and power.

In a rich poetic style all his own, Uchenna Awoke sheds light on conflicts of land, an ever-shifting diaspora, and the violence of child marriage.