An Ordinary Wonder

My name is Otolorin. I've been called monster. Within dark valleys of flesh I defy the given - a snake curled in upon itself, two-in-one, mythical and shunned. Yet, in that magic place between worlds, in the realm where the great mother gives milk to her offspring, I become like a goddess.

An Ordinary Wonder is a powerful coming of age story of an intersex twin, Oto, who is forced to live as a boy and adhere to prohibitive Yoruba traditions despite his desire to live as a girl. His wealthy and powerful family are ashamed of him and we see Oto become more estranged from his twin sister and experience heart-breaking brutality at the hands of his mother.

This moving and modern book follows Oto through his life in Africa, at boarding school and then emigrating to a new life in United States. It is a novel that explores complex desires as well as challenges of family, identity, gender and culture. An Ordinary Wonder takes us on a beautiful journey of what it means to feel whole.