The Year of Return

In Ofori’s chilling debut, the recognition of the Ghanaian Year of Return—commemorating the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved Africans reaching the colony of Virginia—heralds the mass manifestation of the ghosts of those who did not survive the journey. Ghana-born journalist Adwapa, who’s traveled home from the United States for the occasion, is on hand to observe and document this phenomenon. The spirits he dubs Coasters appear in the ocean before making landfall and ultimately possessing select living individuals, bringing with them an overwhelming sense of depression and despair. As society reacts with confusion, fear, and lockdowns, Adwapa strives to record and understand the restless ghosts, especially after a girl named Gyebiwaa possesses his mother. Ofori brings the setting to vivid life, but her narrator is more observer than protagonist, which keeps the reader somewhat at arm’s length. Still, this stark tale impressively probes the complex emotions surrounding the history of the slave trade, exploring guilt, trauma, and culpability. It’s a powerful, unflinching ghost story that feels as though it’s only scratched the surface of Ofori’s talent. Agent: Bieke van Aggelen, African Literary. (May)