"Transcendent." -- The New York Times Book Review****"** Flawless. . . another masterpiece from an author who seems incapable of writing anything that's less than brilliant.** "** ** --***NPR From the award-winning author of Boy, Snow, Bird and 2019's Gingerbread *comes an enchan...

"Transcendent." -- The New York Times Book Review****"** Flawless. . . another masterpiece from an author who seems incapable of writing anything that's less than brilliant.** "** ** --***NPR From the award-winning author of Boy, Snow, Bird and 2019's Gingerbread *comes an enchanting collection of intertwined stories.

Playful, ambitious, and exquisitely imagined,* What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours 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). 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? What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours * captivates as it explores the many possible answers.