Five years ago, I reviewed E.C. Osondu’s collection of short stories Voice of America, and I was impressed with his sharp, and sometimes jarring writing style. In his debut novel, This House Is Not For Sale, his voice is immediately recognizable for these same qualities, and the book itself seemed to me more a hybrid of a collection of short stories and a novel.
At the center of the novel is the Family House, whose origin is described in the very first chapter. Though each chapter reads as its own individual story focused on one particular resident of the Family House, the narrator remains consistent for every chapter, uniting the stories into one cohesive perspective on a large number of people who have lived in the house at one time or another.
In an unspecified African country, a family-like community comes to life in the Family House, with Grandfather in the respected, and also, at times, feared position of leader. The neighborhood surrounding the Family House is vibrant and ever-present with its many, many voices often weighing in during each chapter’s narrative. Presented in bullet-point fashion in print, these comments read like overheard voices in a crowd, or whispers shared in passing as they walk down the street. The first half or so of the book read quite comically at times, with even the various misfortunes of some residents presented in a way that brought a surprised chuckle, but then there was a sudden shift. The stories, and fates, of the residents– some blood relatives of Grandfather, others simply people who sought out his assistance and shelter in his house– turned darker. The undercurrent of many conversations about the house and the people who called it their home could be summed up in one neighborhood comment: “It is always from that house that all things both good and bad emerge.”
In under 200 pages, Osondu has created a vivid tapestry of this neighborhood and its residents, and the chapters address serious issues such as poverty, mental illness, disease, and inequality, from a perspective that allows for superstitions and customs that may be unfamiliar to Western readers. Entertaining and thought-provoking, this short novel makes for a quick and energetic read.