Curandera by Irenosen Okojie Published: 27th June 2024

A cross between Perfume and The Secret History, Curandera explores the darker elements of shamanism, desire and friendship.

In the mountainous town of Gethsemane, a mysterious woman's arrival sparks a series of strange events that will leave the town's inhabitants changed - men sporadically blind in the afternoons, children disappearing and reappearing without warning and infertile women pregnant with the memories of past births. In London, Therese, a botanist, is quietly on the hunt for a rare form of peyote.

Therese lives with three friends in a Victorian house, Azacca, a Haitian musician who leaves offerings, Peruvian drifter Emilien who is haunted by the past and adventurous Finn, who is increasingly drawn to living life on the edge. When Therese discovers she can heal the sick, jealousy and resentment fracture their bond.