Alim's House

Alim’s house, which is located in the mountains of an unnamed tropical island — Emezi refers to it in an interview included at the end of the book as “a fictional Caribbean island” (279) — is where the majority of the action in the novel takes place, starting in Chapter 7. The narration describes it as “a breathtaking tropical modern structure that was all cascading expanses of uninterrupted glass and dark timber, three stories high” (77). The glass walls of the house are symbolic of the new sense of vulnerability Feyi feels with her attraction to Alim, as well as the danger that Nasir senses from Feyi as someone who may be disruptive to his family. The house is equipped with multiple kitchens for Alim’s use, and it is in one of them that he and Feyi first kiss. After Alim’s children find out that he is romantically involved...