First published 2022
Liwa Ekimakingaï opens his eyes on top of his own grave. A hurricane-like force has lifted him up and spun him around. At twenty-four, he died suddenly and now finds himself eternally stuck in purple flared pants. His name translates to "Death was afraid of me," but death caught him anyway. The other deceased residents of Père Lachaise cemetery warn him against what he plans to do next. Liwa ignores their ghostly counsel and travels back to Pointe Noire to visit his beloved grandmother one final time. His memories of that last fatal night remain scattered and confused. Political corruption mingles with disturbing whispers as Liwa pieces together clues about his mysterious death. He must uncover the truth behind his premature end while navigating his strange new existence among the dead.
Genres: literary-fiction, african-literature, contemporary, magical-realism, ghost-stories, mystery-thriller
Vibes: introspective, melancholic, mysterious, surreal, thought-provoking
Tropes: fragmented-memory, ghost-protagonist, return-from-death, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Père Lachaise Cemetery, Pointe Noire
Period: 21st-century
224 pages · Paperback · Serpent's Tail
Content warnings: death