What a surprising book! Sedia uses an unexpected combination of themes and mythologies to create a world within our mundane, twenty-first-century world--the world of the house. And this Russian-born writer makes central to the story two women, a black woman with African immigrant parents and a U.S-born black woman, who forge a friendship from sharing dreams, fears, and their experiences as women of color in America. I picked this book up because I was fascinated by the mention on the back of the character with a "pocket universe" for hair. Felix is certainly a fascinating character, but he's also on the margins. This is a sophisticatedly feminist book, an original, creative, nearly poetic work of fantasy. Highly recommended.