What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours

<b><b><b>Winner of the PEN Open Book Award</b><br>An NPR Best Book of 2016</b><br><b>A <i>Washington Post</i> Notable Fiction Pick<br></b>A PBS NewsHour Best Book of 2016<br> <b>A <i>Slate</i> Best Book of the Year</b><br> <b>One of <i>Esquire </i>Magazine<i>’s </i>Best Books of 2016</b><br> <b>One of Oprah.com’s 10 Favorite Books of 2016</b><br><br>"Transcendent." —<i>The New York Times Book Review</i><br><br><b>"</b>Flawless. . . another masterpiece from an author who seems incapable of writing anything that's less than brilliant.<b>"</b> <b>—</b><i>NPR</i><br><br>From the award-winning author of <i>Boy, Snow, Bird</i> and <i>Mr. Fox</i> comes an enchanting collection of intertwined stories.</b><br><b> </b><br>Playful, ambitious, and exquisitely imagined, <i>What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours</i> is cleverly built around the idea of keys, literal and metaphorical. The key to a house, the key to a heart, the key to a secret—Oyeyemi’s keys not only unlock elements of her characters’ lives, they promise further labyrinths on the other side. In “Books and Roses” one special key opens a library, a garden, and clues to at least two lovers’ fates. In “Is Your Blood as Red as This?” an unlikely key opens the heart of a student at a puppeteering school. “‘Sorry’ Doesn’t Sweeten Her Tea” involves a “house of locks,” where doors can be closed only with a key—with surprising, unobservable developments. And in “If a Book Is Locked There’s Probably a Good Reason for That Don't You Think,” a key keeps a mystical diary locked (for good reason). <br> <br>Oyeyemi’s tales span multiple times and landscapes as they tease boundaries between coexisting realities. Is a key a gate, a gift, or an invitation? <i>What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours</i> captivates as it explores the many possible answers.