Buki Papillon: An Ordinary Wonder

The Cheeky Natives

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“See, if you act like your uniqueness is a great thing and you couldn’t care less about their opinion, they eventually give up. And that feels so good that you do it again and again until you truly believe it.”An Ordinary Wonder is a coming of age story about Oto — the main protagonist. Oto is a twin, who is born intersex and socialised as a boy and who experiences hardship in the family home because of her desire to live as a girlThe book is filled with rich imagery, art, proverbs and folk tales. The writing is stunning, often lyrically.Oto leaves for boarding school with one plan: excel and escape his cruel home. Falling in love with his roommate was certainly not on the agenda, but fear and shame force him to hide his love and true self.Back home, weighed down by the expectations of their wealthy and powerful family, the love of Oto's twin sister wavers and, as their world begins to crumble around them, Oto must make drastic choices that will alter the family's lives for ever.The Cheeky Natives sat down with Buki Papillion to speak about this debut. The conversation is heart-rending. We speak about a debut that will steal your heart

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