unlockingOyeyemi

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours | Helen Oyeyemi

pick

It's impossible to know where any of these stories will lead, which is part of their fun. They are winding roads that often veer into spooky territory, and drop as many breadcrumbs behind you as you like, but you can't help but get lost in these. You'll find locked doors everywhere you turn of course. What that means depends on the story, but in all cases, Oyeyemi interrogates what it means to have access and what changes once you turn the key 🗝

Billypar #unlockingOyeyemi @vivastory 5y

vivastory What a great picture & a very thoughtful review! I can't wait for the library to reopen, Oyeyemi's other titles are going to be at the top of my list. In the meantime I have this wonderful collection to reread & think about. It's really helped me deal with the quarantine 5y

Billypar @vivastory Thanks! And thanks too for playing along with my discussion posts- it's fun unpacking stories like these. I placed a book order that included Boy, Snow, Bird so that's probably next up for me. I fully expect to read them all! 5y

Liz_M Btw, how many Oyeyemi books have you read? Do you have a favorite or a recommendation of which to start with? 4y

Billypar @Liz_M I've read three so far and Mr. Fox was my favorite, though the other two, White is for Witching and this collection were both excellent as well. I started with Mr. Fox, though I'm not sure one makes any more sense than others - her style is very distinctive and consistent across all three. 4y

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Billypar

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours | Helen Oyeyemi

Happy St. Jordi's day everyone! If you don't know what that is see @vivastory 's earlier post: https://litsy.com/p/aklwNEp4NEJ6
One more #unlockingOyeyemi discussion prompt in the comments below. This is a cross-time book discussion for all those who love these stories and want to discuss them no matter when everyone else has read them. So feel free to leave a comment whenever - you'll give me an excuse to reread some of this amazing collection!

Billypar 🗝👇👇👇👇🗝 5y

Billypar Did Jacob's 'presence' experiment succeed or fail, and why? What did the experiences of Jill and Jacob during the experiment signify? 5y

vivastory I can't wait to dive back into this brilliant collection. Unfortunately my reading has been derailed recently. Will definitely be finishing this collection this weekend. 5y

Billypar @vivastory The first three stories were probably my favorites, but they were all really good: hope you enjoy the rest! 5y

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Billypar

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours | Helen Oyeyemi

#unlockingOyeyemi
@vivastory

I'm a little speechless with this story - read it days ago and I'm still trying to process it. If you've read it in the past, or read it in the future please share your thoughts!

Billypar 👇👇👇🗝 5y

Billypar There's so much that could be discussed, but I think the title is a good place to start. What does it mean and what do you make of the dual narratives providing different answers? And how about the scene with Tyche and her puppet's repeating the question? I keep getting chills when I think about that scene...so creepy. 5y

vivastory I just finished this story & I honestly feel like I need to reread it. There's so much to unpack. It's definitely very creepy, especially when talking about the puppets building other puppets. It made me think of the short films of Jan Sjvankmajer (sp?). 5y

Billypar @vivastory Yeah I felt the same - too much to process in just one read. And you're totally right about Svankmajer - if only he could be persuaded to adapt it into its own short film! I bet Oyeyemi is a fan of his. 5y

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Billypar

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours | Helen Oyeyemi

So, I'm trying this experiment with my #currentread...Helen Oyeyemi is a new favorite author of mine, and as I read her story collection, I'm dying to hear from others about these stories. It's got a locked door theme so I'm calling it #unlockingOyeyemi If you like this author and want to chat about the story pictured (even if you're reading this years later), see the question behind the spoiler door in the comments and let me know your thoughts!

Billypar What do you think about the connection between the House of Locks and the Matyas Füst storylines? Is Ched's mysterious visitor Hecate? If so, why was she there, and what do you think her broader role in the story was (see Tyche's description, page 89 in my paperback)? 5y

Billypar 🏠🔐 5y

vivastory I think Ched's mysterious visitor is def. Hecate! Ched tells the narrator that he has never met the woman & he has never given her keys, but sometimes when he calls she answers. Which could mean this is someone who had broken in, except he then says "I don't think she wants to be seen." He also knows the form that Matyas Füst's "apology" will take, & more convincingly the exact title of the song. 5y

Billypar @vivastory I was curious about what to make of Ched's apology prophecy. I was on the fence between he heard about it from Hecate or it was just Oyeyemi making a wry observation about how predictable some celebrities are about their supposed apologies, and knowing the overly specific name was for comic value. 5y

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Billypar

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours | Helen Oyeyemi

I know we've all had that feeling of finishing a book and going crazy because you want to discuss it. Does anyone act on this? Do you pose questions in your reviews and wait patiently? Or go so far as to comment on recent reviews in Goodreads of the same book to ask?
Well I just finished the first story of the tagged collection and I have a big question. I'll post in the comments: if you've read it, feel free to 'unlock' and respond! 🚪🗝

Billypar Who killed Señora Del Olmo? At first, it is implied that Safiye did in revenge if being framed, especially given that even Lucy suspects her of lying. But if that is true, how would Isidoro have known to tell his brother to give the library to the one with the key? If we accept the events in Safiye's letter to her daughter are true (should we?) then Isidoro died before Del Olmo was killed and the key stolen. So maybe it was the ghost of Isidoro? 5y

Billypar #unlockingOyeyemi 5y

vivastory Now I'm dying to read this collection 😂 5y

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Billypar @vivastory You should! Then come back here and we will discuss. I'm only two stories in, but I foresee more posts like this. 5y

vivastory I'm sold. I'm going to dive in tonight. 5y

Billypar @vivastory Excellent! I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. Very impressed with the first 2.5 stories that I'm through so far, even with high expectations going in. 5y

vivastory @Billypar I just finished the first story and after thinking about it, I think that Safiye was responsible. When she talks to Lucy, she explains it in the language of a modern fairy tale (the rose was the murder weapon) which entirety fits the language of the story (It begins with "Once upon a time"). It also fits with Del Olmo's harassment of her. 5y

Billypar @vivastory She definitely has motive and a con-artist history. But at minimum, Isidoro has to have some supernatural power to have communicated to his brother about Montse and the key, right? We don't know if he's communicated to Safiyie directly but it seems strange that she would invent a supernatural alibi to Lucy who knows nothing of Isidoro or has shown any interest in that sort of thing. 5y

vivastory @Billypar What Isidoro's brother knows is from Montse's mother's letter. Zacarias writes in the postscript that he found her letter in his papers. 5y

vivastory @Billypar But Lucy's involvement in it is inexplicable... I'll have to reread that part.. 5y

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