The House of Rust

DEBUT In this phantasmagorical debut, Mombasa-born author Bajaber limns a traditional coming-of-age story, then raises it to Odyssean proportions. Aisha has been joined at the hip to her father Ali since her mother’s death. When Ali disappears on a fishing trip, Aisha feels compelled to brave the ferocious sea, in a mystical ship made of bones, in search of him. Readers should suspend disbelief and lean into the fact that Aisha’s companion on this quest is a talking cat, and that she must outwit three monsters who will taunt and test her. This tale ratchets up slowly but reaches propulsive intensity as Aisha’s love for her father spurs her on past seemingly insurmountable odds. In the process, Aisha blossoms from naïve child to young adult, unafraid to eschew her family’s expectations for Muslim girls or an arranged marriage to her childhood friend Hassan; instead, she chooses a life of independence and freedom.