Under the Frangipani

“An original and fresh tale, quite unlike anything else I have read from Africa. I enjoyed it very much.”—Doris Lessing

“A peculiarily African sensibility . . . a writer of fluid, fragmentary narratives. . . . Remarkable.”—New Statesman

A police inspector is investigating a strange murder—a case in which all the suspects are eager to claim responsibility for the act.

Set in a former Portuguese slave fort, Under the Frangipani combines fable and allegory, dreams and myths with an earthy humor. Part thriller, part an exploration of language itself, Mia Couto’s novel surprises and delights.

Mia Couto works as an agronomist in Maputo, Mozambique.