The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts

'A beautiful ode to the power of storytelling' Eleanor Shearer

'A brilliant, compelling exploration of familial legacies. A mythic and edifying read' Irenosen Okojie, author of Speak Gigantular

Growing up in Brooklyn with their Caribbean parents, Zora and Sasha Porter's days were enchanted by stories from the islands - the mischievous spider Anansi both seductive and vengeful; the flame-breathing Rolling Calf who haunts butchers; and ocean-dwelling Mama Dglo, said to be half snake, half human. Now they are teenagers, and life at home has become unbearable.

Their parents' tempestuous relationship has fallen apart, their mother Beatrice desperately ill, their father Nigel living with another woman. While an unsettled Zora escapes into her journal, dreaming of being a writer, Sasha discovers sex and chest binding, spending more time with her new girlfriend than at home. But they can't hide forever.

The Anansi Stories that captivated them as children begin to creep into the present, revealing truths about the Porter family's past they must all face up to. The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts is an extraordinary debut novel, a celebration of the power of stories that asks - what happens when ours are erased? Do we disappear? Or do we come back haunting?