The House of Shells - Efua Traoré

 

Having loved Efua’s debut novel, Children of the Quicksands, I was thrilled when Chicken House sent me her latest novel, The House of Shells.

Kuki has just moved house to live with Dr D, her mum’s fiancé.  Whilst her heavily pregnant mum is preoccupied with the upcoming birth, Kuki is dealing with the difficulty of trying to fit in at her new school.  Finding things tough, she heads for a walk one evening and discover, an abandoned beach house where, hidden amongst the shadows, she meets Enilo and the pair quickly become friends.  This is just what Kuki needs but Enilo seems reluctant to meet any of Kuki’s family and will only spend time at her house if nobody knows she is there.  Why is Enilo being so secretive? 

It is clear from the beginning of the book that there has been a lot of change in Kuki’s life of late: she has moved in with Dr D, her mum is imminently expecting a new baby, she has had to move to a new school – it’s now wonder she is finding everything strange and stressful.  She is a shy person who is finding it difficult to fit in so when Moji befriends her she sees this as a chance to fit in, however, it soon becomes apparent that Moji is a bully who just wants to take advantage of Kuki.  As in so many cases, Kuki is scared to speak up and, instead, chooses to put up with how she is being treated (as a teacher, I have to say that staying quiet is never the right thing to do – always, always speak to somebody if you find yourself in this situation).  The timing of Enil’s arrival is perfect and she very quickly becomes her best friend: the pair have so much in common and enjoy each other’s company so I can understand why Kuki finds it strange that Enil won’t meet any of her family.

Meanwhile, Kuki is also dealing with Dr D’s sister who is hugely superstitious and is very worried for Kuki – this causes huge amounts of tension in the house which just adds to everything Kuki is dealing with.  Enil is the perfect escape and Kuki is glad she has found her.

The House of Shells is a story of family, friends, bullying and standing up for yourself.  Modern life and Nigerian folklore weave together perfectly to produce a compelling and, at times, haunting tale.