One of the secondary characters in “Peaces” is a deceased publisher named Karel Stojaspal. A simple enough reference to gloss over at a quick reading, but if there is one thing a reader can be sure of in an Oyeyemi novel: you gloss over details at your peril. The novel opens with a pair of lovers, Xavier and first-person narrator Otto, who have been provided passage on a train called “The Lucky Day” as a gift from Xavier’s aunt. Xavier and Otto encounter Ava Kapoor, the owner of the train, who is set to inherit Karel’s fortune contingent upon her being able to prove her sanity. At its core, “Peaces” asks what happens when we are unable to recognize the most significant figures in our lives.

Source: thestar April 11, 2021 09:56 UTC