
The Twelfth House
$48.10
- Hardcover
288 pages
- Release Date
29 September 2026
Summary
The vengeful spirit of an unborn child draws her father from the Bight of Biafra onto a slave ship bound for the harshly colonized Caribbean island of Dominica in this lush historical novel infused with magical realism and rooted in West African mythology for readers of The Water Dancer and River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer.
Etta is an ogbanje, an unborn soul trapped in a cycle of conception and death in the wombs of one family. A gifted siren in the twe…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781645662037 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1645662039 |
| Author: | Robert de la Chevotiere |
| Publisher: | Kensington Publishing |
| Imprint: | Erewhon Books |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 288 |
| Release Date: | 29 September 2026 |
| Weight: | 567g |
| Dimensions: | 140mm x 210mm |

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Critics Review
Praise for Tall Is Her Body
“The deeply moving sophomore novel from de la Chevotière is a magical realist coming-of-age story chronicling a young man’s life in the West Indies…fluid and atmospheric writing easily draws readers into both the lush setting of Dominica and Fidel’s inner world. Themes of identity, colonialism, and racism bolster the sprawling plot, and though the magical elements are light, they fascinate. This is sure to impress.” —Publishers Weekly
“The lush prose takes the reader on a journey across decades and continents. A magical realism tour de force where cultural identity confronts colonization.”—NPR’s Books We Love
“De la Chevotière weaves a stunning tale… . This feels like something being recalled out loud to a rapt audience rather than read off a page.”—Reactor
“A vision all its own… . An admirable addition to the canon of Afro-Caribbean literature.”—Washington Independent Review of Books
“Tall Is Her Body is a memorable, generous, and vivid addition to a Caribbean lineage inaugurated by the likes of Kincaid, Selvon, Roumain and Lovelace. Tender and unsparing, de la Chevotière’s triumphant entrance more than meets the bill. A soaring work.” —Canisia Lubrin, acclaimed poet, editor, and author
Robert de la Chevotiere
Robert de la Chevotiere is an Afro-Caribbean immigrant to Canada, who teaches French and English language arts. He is a member of the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia and has recently had a poem published in Arc Poetry Magazine’s 2021 fall issue.
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