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Vagabonds!
Vagabonds!: A Novel | Eloghosa Osunde
10 posts | 4 read | 5 to read
In the bustling streets and cloistered homes of Lagos, a cast of vivid characterssome haunted, some defiantnavigate danger, demons, and love in a quest to lead true lives. As in Nigeria, vagabonds are those whose existence is literally outlawed: the queer, the poor, the displaced, the footloose and rogue spirits. They are those who inhabit transient spaces, who make their paths and move invisibly, who embrace apparitions, old vengeances and alternative realities. Eloghosa Osunde's brave, fiercely inventive novel traces a wild array of characters for whom life itself is a form of resistance: a driver for a debauched politician with the power to command life and death; a legendary fashion designer who gives birth to a grown daughter; a lesbian couple whose tender relationship sheds unexpected light on their experience with underground sex work; a wife and mother who attends a secret spiritual gathering that shifts her world. As their lives intertwinein bustling markets and underground clubs, churches and hotel roomsvagabonds are seized and challenged by spirits who command the city's dark energy. Whether running from danger, meeting with secret lovers, finding their identities, or vanquishing their shadowselves, Osunde's characters confront and support one another, before converging for the once-in-a-lifetime gathering that gives the book its unexpectedly joyous conclusion. Blending unvarnished realism with myth and fantasy, Vagabonds! is a vital work of imagination that takes us deep inside the hearts, minds, and bodies of a people in duressand in triumph.
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Afua
Vagabonds!: A Novel | Eloghosa Osunde
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‘People who know loss know this : there‘s nothing harder to let go of than an already-gone thing‘

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shawnmooney
Vagabonds!: A Novel | Eloghosa Osunde
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https://youtu.be/ldG3BiWiVdw

A playlist of all episodes in the Bite-sized Book Chat series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU-61cZp1pQdBH5V0Zb9q-2ujl4PY8nhf

Chat #1: with Nnaemeka from Nigeria
@emmyizyc

Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde


shawnmooney Chat #2: with Sarah, an Australian in the Netherlands
@sarahxify
The Bookcast Club podcast: @bookcastclub

With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial by Kathryn Mannix

Mayflies by Andrew O'Hagan

The Spare Room by Helen Garner

Chat #3: with Sean of Travel Through Stories from New York City
@travelthroughstoriesyt

The Deluge by Stephen Markley

Ohio by Stephen Markley

Kin by Miljenko Jergović
Russell Scott Valentino
2y
23 likes1 comment
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charl08
Vagabonds!: A Novel | Eloghosa Osunde

Miracles like this happened all the time: people getting up from their wheelchairs and breaking into a run; people opening their eyes for the first time in their lives and telling you the color of anything. Even comedians joked about it, but it never occurred to people to second-guess, to think of it as an industry, a second Nollywood growing.

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charl08
Vagabonds!: A Novel | Eloghosa Osunde
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"I hope it's good where you are. Quiet. I hope no one makes you sing hosanna non stop in a white gown, or I'll have to come fight them-I know how much you hate wearing white, and more than anything, how much you can't even stand congregations. I imagine you'd only ever accept that invitation if they let you make your own outfit, stay quiet and read books all day in your mansion."

?Does your vision of an afterlife include books?

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charl08
Vagabonds!: A Novel | Eloghosa Osunde

This time she met Ejiro, a fifty-year-old physics lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She was in a small canteen called Iya Perempe, eating nkwobi, when he walked in and found her sitting alone listening to music on her Walkman. Toju was wearing red lipstick, which remained largely unperturbed even as she dealt with the meat. He hesitated by the door, scanning the room, then took a few steps in her direction. "Mind if I join you?"

sarahbarnes This has been on my list to read! 2y
33 likes1 comment
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Sydneypaige
Vagabonds!: A Novel | Eloghosa Osunde
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I have never been to Lagos, but this reads like a love letter to the city and those who don‘t quite belong by some peoples standards. The outlawed, misfits, queers, kinky folks, demons, and gods. These are intertwining stories of the city through their eyes and experiences through class, sexuality, and truths/lies. It‘s definitely worth your time.

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merelybookish
Vagabonds!: A Novel | Eloghosa Osunde
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Pickpick

A novel consisting of linked stories that highlight the vagabonds aka the queers, misfits, outsiders, have-nots, closeted & lost souls of Lagos. It's chaotic, colourful, violent, spirited, tender & kinky. It depicts people from all backgrounds & classes as well as figures from the spiritual realm. I liked the magical realism stories best & I got a real sense of Lagos, a city that feeds on vagabonds at the same time as it needs them to survive. 👇

merelybookish My main complaint is that it was just too long. In wanting to portray so many experiences, it ends up overwhelming the reader. It felt like maybe the author should have killed a few darlings. Still I found it compelling and vivid, and a perfect read for #pridemonth. 2y
Sparklemn @merelybookish I'm learning to like novels with linked stories. This one sounds really interesting. I'll put it on my list. 2y
batsy Nice review! I've seen a few people show off their copies and was surprised that it's kind of a thick book 😅 2y
merelybookish @Sparklemn The writing is great and I think the structure makes sense for what she's going for! 2y
merelybookish @batsy Thanks! Yeah, I listened to it and my attention span with audiobooks is getting shorter. Over 8 hours and I'm annoyed. 😆 2y
59 likes5 comments
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merelybookish
Vagabonds!: A Novel | Eloghosa Osunde
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Lilacs & lupins from today's walk. Tagged my new audiobook.

Suet624 Such abundance. 2y
batsy So beautiful. Also I've heard a lot about the tagged book! 2y
sarahbarnes This is beautiful! Lilacs are my favorite flower. And I‘m curious about this book! 2y
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merelybookish @sarahbarnes Love lilacs too! The book is good so far! 2y
merelybookish @batsy Not many posts about it on Litsy but it has got good reviews elsewhere. Liking it so far! 2y
merelybookish @Suet624 Spring has finally arrived and run riot. 💜 2y
Suet624 @merelybookish it‘s fantastic when nature is just exploding in colors and smells. 🐝 🌺 🌸 🌳 2y
59 likes7 comments
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mdemanatee
Vagabonds!: A Novel | Eloghosa Osunde
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Getting back in the swing of things after a rough March.

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mdemanatee
Vagabonds!: A Novel | Eloghosa Osunde
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Some of the best quotes at the beginning of a book I‘ve seen in a minute.