Praise for The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and other Essential Ghosts

Palmer weaves folktales and magical realism in her moving debut . . . This will stick with readers.

We speak about hauntings, family narratives, and Anansi the animal trickster!

In homage to the folktales that began in Africa, and took on new shapes in the Caribbean, The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts resists the expectation to linger over motivation, abandoning literary fiction’s 'why' to spotlight Afro-Caribbean folklore’s 'what' . . . [the novel] vividly conveys a multitude of profound emotional experiences that exist as squares of fabric: some are already joined by the bold seam of cause and effect, while others exist separately but for the thread of inference. With this debut, the author invites us to view long-held traditions in storytelling anew, and to meditate on why they endure. Troubling subjects and compelling questions abound. Nevertheless, much like those who have recounted the lore of Anansi and the rolling calf through the ages, Palmer trusts the capacity of the narrative to bear the weight of all things said and unsaid.

In Soraya Palmer’s The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts, the fantastical plot flowers more like a century-old fable than a standard work of fiction, made up of colorfully strange characters . . . One cannot help but experience curiosity about this tale of two sisters who begin to live very different lives as they grow older. If you’re interested in colorful African American folklore, this book is unlikely to disappoint.

Palmer imbues her novel with both snappy pacing and deep feeling in a lovely prose voice with music and poetry behind it. The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts has big things to say about sisterhood and family; race, sexuality and class; life and death; and above all, the power of storytelling . . . The result is wide-ranging and thought-provoking—but also an immersive and sumptuous read. Palmer shines.

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This year will be a great one for bookworms