Where Bones Dance : An English Girlhood, An African War

In this stunning debut novel, a child dissects the darkness at the heart of her British diplomatic family. Living in Nigeria on the brink of civil war, Anna—also known as Jake—becomes blood brothers with Dave, the Korean American daughter of a C.I.A. operative. They do push-ups, collect pornography, and plot lives of unmarried freedom while around them a country disintegrates. Luscious, terrifying, and raw, Nigeria itself becomes a lesson in endurance, suffering, love. Stories are layered upon stories: Anna's grandmother tells stories about life as a white woman on the Gold Coast; the clairvoyant and closeted "Aunt" Elsie gives Anna a story of transformation to hold onto in the coming tumult of adolescence. Yet Where Bones Dance also spirals down to the stories that are not told—sexual abuse, the myth of benign colonialism, the chaos of postcolonial Africa. Sensual and fantastical by turns, this moving, funny, immensely readable book delivers an understanding of the interplay of sexuality, gender, race, and war that is sophisticated beyond the years of its intrepid narrator. Winner, Georges Bugnet Award for Novel, Alberta Literary Awards, Writers Guild of Alberta Best Books for General Audiences, selected by the American Association of School Librarians and the Public Library Association Contents......Page 10 Preface......Page 14 Acknowledgments......Page 16 Cycle I: Good Snake......Page 18 Lagos......Page 20 Lines......Page 21 Beach......Page 23 School......Page 27 Christine......Page 30 Dave......Page 31 Red......Page 33 Daniel......Page 36 Relations......Page 38 Moonflower......Page 42 Mrs. Welt......Page 47 Sister Alice......Page 49 Akueke......Page 52 Blood Brothers......Page 56 Bone......Page 58 City of Blood......Page 61 Leper......Page 62 Ibeji......Page 67 Nigger......Page 70 Trips......Page 73 Killings......Page 76 Mamba......Page 79 Woman......Page 81 War......Page 85 Soldiers......Page 86 Brownies......Page 88 Fever......Page 91 Twin......Page 93 Island......Page 95 Return......Page 97 Cycle II: The English Ibeji......Page 98 Christmas......Page 100 Trader......Page 103 Ma......Page 106 Drunk......Page 108 Dream......Page 111 Bats......Page 112 Marine......Page 114 Benin......Page 116 Killings......Page 120 Christine......Page 122 News......Page 127 Help......Page 128 Trousers......Page 130 Mask......Page 132 House......Page 134 Microscope......Page 136 High......Page 140 Map......Page 144 Beach......Page 145 Wake......Page 150 Baby......Page 153 Dark......Page 154 Blow Job......Page 157 Soap......Page 159 House......Page 162 Drowning......Page 163 Christine......Page 167 Mirrors......Page 170 Sailor......Page 172 Cycle III: The Mosquito King......Page 174 Mother......Page 176 Eye......Page 179 Beggar......Page 180 Facts......Page 184 Ile Ibenu......Page 187 Underwater......Page 189 Bath......Page 192 Mosquito......Page 196 Bill......Page 199 Secret......Page 203 Belching......Page 206 Isle of Man......Page 209 White Man’s Grave......Page 212 God......Page 215 Home......Page 219 Magnifying Glass......Page 222 Aunt Elsie......Page 225 Fishing......Page 230 Airplane......Page 233 Jigsaw......Page 238 Recipe......Page 242 Lines......Page 244 Twin......Page 246 Prince......Page 249 Story......Page 253 Observer......Page 255 Hole......Page 256 Leaving......Page 261 Ship......Page 264 Cycle IV: Harvest of Ghosts......Page 268 Beach......Page 270 Harbor......Page 273 Pole......Page 275 Death......Page 280 Malaria......Page 284 Man......Page 286 Spy......Page 287 Doll......Page 292 Oil......Page 295 Under......Page 298 Fancy Dress......Page 300 Eye......Page 304 Green......Page 306 Free......Page 308 Nothing......Page 310 The Sea, The Sea......Page 313 Anna's mother and father, a sexually abusive drunk and rarely present British diplomat, respectively, provide little in the way of parenting, leaving Anna to find her own role models (such as Christine, the family's servant, or Aunt Elsie, her grandmother's "bloody queer" friend). Sheltered for the most part from the war, Anna and Dave together try to make sense of their rarified world