Flickering Shadows
A novel by Agymah Kamau

Selected for the Discover Great New Writers Program

Quality Paperback Book Club Selection

"Kamau injects his books with an almost audible rhythm that adds immeasurably to the depth and power of the tale." - Publisher’s Weekly, starred

"A beautifully orchestrated choral song, a small masterpiece." - LA Weekly

"Brimming with magic." - The New York Times Book Review

"Kamau has taken the enchantment of a grandmother sitting under a tree telling a story and woven an intriguing and fascinating tale . . . An excellent debut; highly recommended." - Library Journal

"People have been asking for some time now: where are the Bajan griot voices to succeed George Lamming, Paule Marshall, Austin Clark? Well, look in vain no further. Here, fresh & young in the spirit-fields of that nearest-to-Africa Caribbean island, is my namesake Kwadwo Agymah Kamau’s first novel, Flickering Shadows, continuing the great coral/choral-calling tradition of Barbados." - Kamau Brathwaite

Deeply engrossing and beautifully written, this debut novel marks the stunning arrival of a major new talent.

Set on a fictional Caribbean island, Flickering Shadows is the story of the colorful and compelling inhabitants of a small ex-colony, a village called the Hill. Cephus’s grandfather - one of the most intriguing narrators to appear in fiction in some time - draws the reader into the lives and vivid dramas of the whole community. Cephus, Doreen, Boysie, Inez, young Kwame, the ghost, Dolphus, and an array of vibrantly-depicted characters form a rich and hypnotic tale of love and betrayal, selflessness and honor, lust and dignity.

Played out against a backdrop of political chicanery and religious corruption, this entrancing novel captivates from its first sentence to its breathtaking and unforgettable conclusion.

Agymah Kamau, originally from Barbados, moved to New York in 1977, where he worked as a Senior Economist for the state government. Having earned his MFA degree in English from Virginia Commonwealth University, he presently lives in Richmond, Virginia.

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