Review by Booklist Review
In her debut novel, accomplished British Ghanaian writer Anie weaves together the lives of culturally diverse characters to create a sublime story about friendship and the power of connection. The focus alternates between Kwasi and his family and Rupert, who is the owner of a nearby charity shop named the Chest of Small Wonders. Kwasi is a young boy, and his family recently moved to a new house in London. Kwasi shows great aptitude for art and is curious with a vivid imagination, but he is adjusting to a new school and under pressure from his family to perform academically. Partly as a means of escape and partly just out of fascination, Kwasi becomes entranced with the Chest of Small Wonders. Rupert is an older man whose wife has died, and because of changing dynamics in the city, his shop is struggling financially. As Kwasi spends more time there, he and Rupert develop a strong bond that Anie turns into a message of hope for humanity.
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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Anie's poignant debut revolves around two London outcasts who find solace in each other during the 2014 recession. No sooner has Kwasi, 14, moved into a new house with his mother than the house starts filling with aunties. He misses his father, who's in Ghana building a house for the family, and struggles to fit in at school. He needs space and a place to belong, and unexpectedly finds both one Halloween night at a charity shop called Chest of Small Wonders, which he darts into while fleeing from bullies. Enter Rupert, the shopkeeper, who has been isolated ever since the death of his wife (community members suspect his illicit and potent tea was responsible). Kwasi and Rupert's friendship develops as the shopkeeper nurtures the boy's passion for drawing, and Kwasi helps bring the shop back to its former glory. Though the author gets off to a slow start and fails to set up much of the third act's drama (drugs, weapons, a fire), she confidently handles the theme of building a surrogate home ("Home is in these moments of connection too, of seeing people who get it, who are moving towards this same space that calls him too"). Despite the flaws, it's hard not to be moved. (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
When his family moves to a different part of London, Kwasi feels lost until he befriends Rupert, the white, middle-aged, widowed proprietor of a charity shop that's seen better times. Together they face the roiling changes in their community and lives. British Ghanian writer Anie makes her debut; with a 50,000-copy first printing.
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