Reviews with content warning for Racism - Butter Honey Pig Bread

Title: Butter Honey Pig Bread
Author: Francesca Ekwuyasi
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5
Pub Date: Oct. 1 2020

T H R E E • W O R D S

Delicious • Familial • Inspiring

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Spanning three continents and many years, Butter Honey Pig Bread tells the story of mother, Kambirinachi, and her twin daughters, Kehinde and Taiye. In the wake of two life-altering experiences - the violent death of their husband and father, and a traumatic childhood experience for Kehinde, - the women drift apart. Weighed down by guilt and resentment life takes each of them in different directions. A decade later, the women reunite in Lagos and are forced to face the wounds of the past in order to move forward. This is a tale of love and loss, of grief and healing, and above all of family and forgiveness.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Butter Honey Big Bread is a beautifully written debut novel that explores our choices and their consequences, intertwining flawlessly the pleasurable roles of both food and sex in our lives. The fully fleshed out character development, the complex relationships, and the intelligent and emotive writing make this one of the most powerful books I've ever read. From the very start, the story takes you on an immersive journey, offering a fascinating glimpse into Nigerian culture and tradition, contrasted with Western culture and customs. Through alternative perspectives, this novel also explores queer identity, the long-lasting effects of sexual trauma, and a family torn apart. Although the plot is quite slow to develop, I suspect this was the intention by the supremely talented first-time author. The use of food throughout the story is something unique, and demonstrates the importance food plays in every aspect of our lives, a language of love and connection. It is certainly heavy on content, but that is what makes it a realistic and pleasurable read. Francesca Ekwuyasi has gained a fan, and I cannot wait to read what she writes next. My advice is that you don't want to miss this one!

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers of mother/daughter relationships and family sagas
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie fans
• Foodies
• Book clubs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"She used to be much sweeter, softer, kinder, but it's impossible to go through that particular brand of hell and stay untouched."

"But one cannot abandon oneself, try try try as one might."

"The kind of kinship established due to a common sadness, shared loneliness that becomes bearable through laughter and food and the good company of one who understands."

"And that was her principal vice, wasn't it? Desiring to be entirely consumed by any and every moment that quenched the hungry howling loneliness that sat curled down down inside herself. If she could climb down the throat of an orgasm and rest, eternal, in its belly, and if she could sink into and be sealed beneath every delicious bite of every delightful thing - oh, how she would, she would, she would. But life pushes forth, persistently, the afterglow of even the most transcendent climax will fade, every tasty thing is digested and turns to shit. Mundanity is persistent. Periods must be dealt with, blood rots, dishes must be done, everything tarnishes and ends. It's just that beginnings are so seductive, the promise of possibilities."

"These alive bodies... so adept at turning even the most precious things into vices."

Content Warnings

unphilosophize's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book has deeply hurt me and I loved it.
It is such a deeply emotional read. So raw and real.
I will think about this book for a long time.
Friends, expect this as a gift in the coming months (if you want a copy)
I have so much love for this book.

Content Warnings

mezzano's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Francesca Ekwuyasi has made literary strides in her debut, Butter Honey Pig Bread. A generational story featuring a mother and her twin daughters, this story is slow-paced but rewarding in its delivery. It's easy to feel empathetic for each of the characters, who all have their own traumas rooted in fear or abandonment. Kambirinachi is a Obangi, meant only to haunt a family and die. Instead, Kambirinachi decides to live her life as a human, after the birth of her twins, Kehinde and Taiye. Due to "The Bad Thing," which happed to Kehinde as a child, Kehinde estranges herself from Taiye and her mother. Taiye, now facing her own flavor of abandonment, also leaves home and grows up overcompensating her loss through lustful and casual encounters with women. When all three women finally come together and admit their feelings to each other, the sensation is deeply satisfying for the reader.

While reading the book, it was clear that Ekwuyasi's strength is in her absolutely gorgeous writing. The detail and style of the book certainly doesn't feel like a debut novelist wrote it, especially as different foods and cultural aspects of the story are highlighted. This is a book to be savored, as if were a favorite childhood meal. I would highly recommend reading this book in a group setting, where aspects of the characters' personalities, trauma, and purpose are contemplated fully. Kambirinachi's story can also be interpreted as a journey through mental illness. The whole novel speaks to the theme of food and culture. These concepts are appreciated more through a deeper and more meaningful consumption of the text, which is acquired mostly through slower and deliberate reading.

Before reading, be mindful that while the writing is decadent, there are quite a number of content warnings which a reader should consider before reading. Some of the content in this book can be deeply triggering, especially considering the detail which exists within the novel.

Content Warnings

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