The Story of the Impossible Island

To read a Helen Oyeyemi novel is to willingly enter a tangled wood, where the paths wander and circle, and the way out isn’t always clear, but the scenery is full of an alarming and brilliant beauty. A one-time prodigy (the British daughter of Nigerian immigrants, she published her first novel, The Icarus Girl, in her teens), Oyeyemi has always been interested in how people, especially women, arrive at their identities, a journey shaped by relationships that define and, more often than not, confine them. The fairy tale is the native language of this theme: Its princesses, stepmothers, witches, and yes, even its princes and shoemakers, are facets of a single questing psyche. But while fairy tales have a sequestered inward-looking quality, Oyeyemi’s novels are wide-ranging. She browses the globe in search of motifs and milieus; her fiction has drawn on Yoruba legends, Emily Dickinson, Cuban folklore, American race relations, and ghost stories. She currently lives in Prague, and her splendid, witty new novel, Gingerbread, has a distinctive flavor of Mitteleuropa. Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2019-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #fairy tale #fairy tales #ghost stories

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Claudia Winkleman has been unveiled as the head judge for Book People’s latest Bedtime Story competition with a theme of “friendship”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Story exploring freedom wins Caine Prize for African Writing

Sudanese writer Bushra al-Fadil has won the £10,000 Caine Prize for African Writing for a short story which explores freedom. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: Grisham's 'Island' Keeps Floating at #1

John Grisham continues to enjoy the island life as his first-ever summer beach read, 'Camino Island,' remains afloat atop the iBooks bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Piatkus to publish 'Bridget Jones meets Neil Gaiman' love story

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Persaud wins the Commonwealth Writers' Short Story Prize

Ingrid Persaud from Trinidad and Tobago has won 2017's Commonwealth Writers' Short Story Prize for "Sweet Sop". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WH Smith sells exclusive short stories to mark 225th birthday

W H Smith is selling seven exclusive short stories from writers including Jeffrey Archer, James Patterson and Jodi Picoult to celebrate its 225th anniversary. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Weekly E-Ranking: Grisham's island top destination

John Grisham’s Camino Island has swooped into the Weekly E-Book Ranking number one, ousting Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Raven signs 'Ripley story for Instagram age'

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: Grisham Enjoys the 'Island' Life

John Grisham stays by the shoreline as his first-ever beach read, 'Camino Island,' remains #1 on the iBooks bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: 'Camino Island' Surfs Along at #1

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mahey-Morgan: Diverse stories important in current 'dark times'

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Walliams, HarperCollins and talkRADIO launch The Story Hour

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cover Story: 'How to Fall in Love with Anyone'

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oneworld buys story of Jean Moulin's betrayal

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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California Publishers Champion Immigrant Stories

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bluemoose seeks North West Coast short stories

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nine 'rediscovered' Ruth Rendell short stories coming in October

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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These literary gems are proof that good things come in small packages. How many classic short stories have you read? How much do you know about their authors? Take our quiz and find out. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2017-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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4 audiobook short story collections

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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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