QUIXOTIC FISSURES: Notes on Transformation

Irenosen Okojie

WINNER OF THE RSL SCRIPTORIUM AWARD

'A passionate, brave, lively and beautifully-written book about childhood, family, relationships, friendships and the tragedy of losing those we love.' Bernardine Evaristo

In this hybrid memoir, Okojie moves through the landscapes of the body and the mind: illness and depression, inheritance and grief, prejudice and belonging, memory and desire. She considers the ways trauma settles in the body, and the unexpected ways healing can travel through generations. Tracing her reconnection with her cultural heritage, finding in the music, movement and traditions of her family new ways of understanding herself.

With breathtaking prose and acute intelligence, she recalls the oddness and violence of an English girls' boarding school; the sacrifices and pleasures of a life in pursuit of art; and the indelible marks we make upon one another in our bids for connection.

Throughout, Okojie moves between the intimate and the expansive, harnessing a boundless imagination that celebrates the evolving body moving through life, with all its pain and glory.Quixotic Fissures is a powerful collection about the strange, beautiful work of transformation.

'Okojie's recollections paint the most heartwarming portrayal of an author and her community. This book is a celebration of black excellence and a reminder of how much is out there for us if we pay attention.' Tendai Huchu