What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi
Hardcover: 336 pages | Publisher: Riverhead Books | Publication Date: March 8, 2016 | ISBN-10: 1594634637
Some destinies are written in the stars—Helen Oyeyemi’s literary fate seems to be one of them. The British writer was only 18 when she debuted in the literary world in 2004 with The Icarus Girl, followed by Mr. Fox, Boy, Snow, Bird, and What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, the latter earning the PEN Open Book Award. A recipient of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists honor in 2013, Oyeyemi crafts stories infused with tradition, societal challenges, and unsettling magic. Her narratives have the power to mesmerize, provoke, frustrate, and captivate—offering an experience unlike any other.
The stories in What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours ignite the imagination, filled with ongoing surprises. Oyeyemi’s writing flows with an uncanny fluidity, sometimes unfolding with two beginnings, two middles, and an open-ended conclusion. Her work blends elements of fairy tales, science fiction, and stark reality, weaving relationships that form abruptly, dissolve unexpectedly, and unfold in a sea of enigmatic events.
The mystery of keys and ghosts permeates her tales, setting a charged atmosphere. Books and Roses unveils the life of an orphan left in a Catalonian chapel, entangling romance, a hidden library, and a secret garden. Sorry Doesn’t Sweeten Her Tea explores a mysterious “house of locks” and a naïve teenager’s infatuation with a dangerous singer. Is Your Blood as Red as This? paints an unfulfilled romance between two girls, surrounded by ghosts and puppets with unsettling vitality. The magic of keys resurfaces in If a Book Is Locked, There’s Probably a Good Reason for That, Don’t You Think?—where a Black woman loses a locked diary whose contents remain an intriguing mystery, inviting the reader’s imagination to run free.
Oyeyemi also explores themes of feminism. A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society juxtaposes the Bettencourters, an elite boys’ club, against the “small but lion-hearted” Homely Wench Society at Cambridge University—a subtle yet sharp proclamation of gender dynamics.
Her characters move through surreal landscapes, raising awareness of human struggles while embracing the beauty of emotion. As Oyeyemi puts it, “when in the night somebody would not die but would become roses”—a poetic reflection of transformation, loss, and rebirth.
Bizarre yet enthralling, Oyeyemi’s stories stir curiosity, unsettle the soul, and demand engagement. This turbulent collection is not an easy read. However, for those who immerse themselves in its rich tapestry, navigating its disjointed relationships, cryptic tensions, and exquisite sentences, the literary experience is nothing short of magical.
by Anisoara Laura Mustetiu
