How can one grow up in Haiti and still have little idea about Voodoo? This is what the narrator must wonder as he embarrasses himself at a ceremony. The blame lies with his strict Protestant grandmother, with whom he was raised, who tried to keep him away from such "devilish things." The child's curiosity only fuels this: Why is his aunt burying a feast? How does a "return to Guinea" take place? What is behind his uncle's illness and sudden recovery? The questions and fears of the child merge with those of the adult reflecting on his childhood. It is an amusing yet serious novel written in a richly allusive language full of Creole storytelling delight.