Review: House of Discarded Dreams by Ekaterina Sedia

Title: The House of Dis­carded Dreams

Author: Eka­te­rina Sedia

Pub­lisher: Prime Books

Date (to be) Pub­lished: Novem­ber 2010

Syn­op­sis: (from pub­lisher)

A young col­lege stu­dent, Vim­bai moves into a dilap­i­dated house in the dunes and dis­cov­ers that one of her new room­mates has a pocket uni­verse instead of hair, there’s a psy­chic energy baby liv­ing in the tele­phone wires, and her dead Zim­bab­wean grand­mother is now doing dishes in the kitchen.  Strange things start mov­ing under the porch, as the house con­tin­ues to grow and mutate, and cre­ates from African urban leg­ends all but take it over.  Now Vim­bai has to find a way back to the real world, even if it means com­ing to terms with her past … the past that only exists in dis­carded dreams.

Where Did It Come From?

Ama­zon wish list purchase.

Why Did I Choose It?

I’ve read Sedia’s Alchemy of Stone as well as an anthol­ogy she edited and love her work.

My Review:

This was yet another delight­ful work from Sedia.  Her abil­ity to describe places and events in such detail that they come to life from the page is amaz­ing.  The story fol­lows Vim­bai as she moves into a house with two room­mates and their adven­tures when the house floats out to sea and they must find a way back home.  Filled with well researched folk­lore and myth from around the world, this story springs from the page and inspires you to hop online and learn more about these cul­tural references.

If you enjoy Sedia’s work or if you’ve never read her before, now is the time to pick up a copy and get to know her.