The House of Rust

August 30, 2021
An intrepid Hadrami girl rescues her father from mythical foes in this striking if slightly cluttered debut. Aisha’s father, Ali, is a restless widower fisherman with a knack for finding the best hauls off the cost of Mombasa, Kenya. When he does not return one evening, everyone assumes he has been lost at sea. Aisha, however, rejects this idea and decides to set off in search of him. With the help of a talking cat, Hamza, and the boat of bones he provides her, she sets out into the ocean and faces down several enemies, including Baba wa Papa, a massive talking shark. She brings a nonresponsive Ali back to land where magical healer Zubeir cuts open Ali’s heart and removes his yearning for the sea. Ali, now at peace on land, and encouraged by his mother, Swafiya, who has recently remarried, plans Aisha’s wedding to an egg merchant. But Aisha wants more adventure and tries to track down Hamza, who disappeared while Aisha hoisted Ali ashore. After dead ends and frustrations, she makes progress in the search with unlikely allies, but finds herself facing alarming danger. While the loose plot threads and continuous introduction of folkloric creatures don’t all cohere, Bajaber’s depictions of Aisha’s daring episodes and her feminist personality consistently shimmer. Fans of modern fairy tales will find much to appreciate.