Summary

Section 1 begins with a quote from an epic poem traditional in the culture of Madagascar, referring to the power of a large house. Then there is a description of how “there are houses you don’t want, that, nevertheless, enter your life and bring with them other lives, whole other worlds” (1). This momentary reflection defines the broad-strokes circumstances of central character Shay, “a Black American woman with scant interest in the continent of Africa except as a near-mythical motherland” (1). The present tense narration describes Shay’s uncertainty and awkwardness as she and her housekeeper Bertine follow a young woman in a shiny white dress through crowded streets to meet the Neighbor, “a notorious conjuror, in hopes that he can lift the spell on her house” (2).

Section 2 briefly considers Shay’s history with her house and its curse which seems to have...