Book Review: Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi

ABOUT

 Spanning three continents, Butter Honey Pig Bread tells the interconnected stories of three Nigerian women: Kambirinachi and her twin daughters, Kehinde and Taiye. Kambirinachi believes that she is an Ogbanje, or an Abiku, a non-human spirit that plagues a family with misfortune by being born and then dying in childhood to cause a human mother misery. She has made the unnatural choice of staying alive to love her human family but lives in fear of the consequences of her decision.

Kambirinachi and her two daughters become estranged from one another because of a trauma that Kehinde experiences in childhood, which leads her to move away and cut off all contact. She ultimately finds her path as an artist and seeks to raise a family of her own, despite her fear that she won't be a good mother. Meanwhile, Taiye is plagued by guilt for what her sister suffered and also runs away, attempting to fill the void of that lost relationship with casual flings with women. She eventually discovers a way out of her stifling loneliness through a passion for food and cooking.

But now, after more than a decade of living apart, Taiye and Kehinde have returned home to Lagos. It is here that the three women must face each other and address the wounds of the past if they are to reconcile and move forward.

For readers of African diasporic authors such as Teju Cole and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Butter Honey Pig Bread is a story of choices and their consequences, of motherhood, of the malleable line between the spirit and the mind, of finding new homes and mending old ones, of voracious appetites, of queer love, of friendship, faith, and above all, family.

My Thoughts

Did you ever read a book that made you speechless? 

After finishing  Butter Honey Pig Bread a few days ago  I am still at a loss for words. This book was very good for a number of reasons, but for me it spoke to the importance of healing and forgiveness. While the author indeed explored a number of themes in the story the relationship between the twins Taiye and Kehinde was most notable.

In "Butter Honey Pig Bread", you meet Kambirinachi and her twins Taiye a chef and Kehinde an artist. These women all have unresolved trauma and issues. For Kambirinachi, her struggle is with death of loved ones before and a struggle to stay alive in this world. She finds love in Banji but eventually he also dies leaving her with the twin girls. So immense was her grief, that Kambirinachi disappears within herself leaving her daughters at risk for "a bad thing" to occur. This "bad thing" (you will read about it) caused a separation of both sisters expanding years and across continents.

Upon returning to Lagos. Kehinde and Taiye struggle to repair their relationships with one another and repair what has been broken within themselves. Why I liked this book is because I think that unresolved hurt can harm you throughout your life if it is not dealt with by way of forgiveness. This book reminded readers of the power of forgiveness. 

I also liked learning about the different dishes that Taiye made throughout the book. There were even some recipes which I may even attempt because the foods are new to me. It was a nice touch to add food to the dynamic. 

I recommend trying this one.