I am still extremely confused and intrigued by this book. I was not expecting....well I don't know what I was expecting, but it was not magical realism in the sense of literal magical creatures, and maybe the Garden of Eden, and colonialism, and myth all rolled into one. To be honest this in no way reads like a first novel, and I think I kinda loved the way it reads? The language is smooth and sharp and intense and aloof. This is not going to be for everyone, but if you like fantasy, and want fantasy to push the boundaries of the genre, maybe it's for you.