I’ve been told to read this book so many times since it came out and I just assumed it was because I have 2 linguistics degrees but lo and behold it’s also anti-racist and decolonial speculative fiction! Ticking every box!

I found it a bit slow at times and I struggled with the long poetic writing style, but the plot, the story and the magical twist on colonial history were so beautifully done. The moral dilemmas and the depth we had in each character choice made me squirm at times, I didn’t want to relate or understand or forgive! But that’s the magic of writing like this - making us feel and helping us understand the depth of what it means to be human.