Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Butter Honey Pig Bread by francesca ekwuyasi

46 reviews

ce_read's review against another edition

I wasn't connecting with the characters like I wanted to. Maybe if I was reading instead of listening to the book it would have hit different, but 1/3 of the way in and there has been almost no plot. So more of a slow, episodic, picture painting kind of story than a plot driven one

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Outing, Abandonment, and Dysphoria

Minor: Animal death

annemaries_shelves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

Perfect! No notes.

Here are some of my (spoilery) thoughts though:

Butter Honey Pig Bread is such a brilliantly told story of twins Taiye and Kehinde, and their mother, Kambirinachi. Each section is named after one of the four title elements, and it plays a significant role in the story. 

Each perspective complemented the other, moving across time and locations. I enjoyed all three POVs and thought each voice was distinctive and necessary.

Kambirinachi can be interpreted as an Ogbanji - a spirit of grief that cycles through rebirths - or as a mentally ill woman. While both can be true, I like the former interpretation. She's someone who persists beyond when she's supposed to, for the sake of love and family. And yet because of who she is, she still brings so much unintended grief and trauma to those around her. Yet, also healing. 

Doors - alongside food - were a significant metaphor for possibility and rebirth. In addition to the actual births and pregnancies experienced and mirrored by Kehinde and Kambirinachi. 

I think I most enjoyed Taiye's perspective. She's the one left behind as her twin - traumatized by the rape and blaming Taiye - moves on without her intentionally. Taiye is navigating her queerness in and beyond Lagos, forming connections with other queer people, and struggling to maintain those connections at a deeper level due to her loneliness, grief, and trauma. 

Overall, this is a beautiful book and brilliantly written in a concise and deeply felt manner. I can see why it was so lauded upon its release and think more people should read it. 

Also all the food made by Taiye and other characters made me hungry. 

Content warnings for on-page sexual assault of a preteen, and attempted overdose by a secondary character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicide attempt and Pregnancy

dhritigupta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

absolutely a new favourite book!! everything about this is just so   perfectly crafted. the descriptions of food and setting were lush, the stylistic choices about perspective were so smart, the writing tackled huge themes (motherhood! sisterhood! familial trauma! loneliness! friendship! grief!) in the most natural way.

the interconnectedness and tenderness of these stories is endlessly special and cathartic!! i need another book from francesca ekwuyasi asap

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

Moderate: Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Homophobia and Vomit

blackwalnutbooks's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, and Grief

headinthepages's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This is such a beautifully written book, one you luxuriate in and savour for every word, sentence and page. 

I absolutely loved the characters and the way their stories intertwined. I loved their complex relationships with each other and themselves, and the secondary characters were brilliant. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

wahitonyaga's review

emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, and Death of parent

anitareadstheworld's review

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, and Suicide attempt

tina94's review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming and Suicide

jayisreading's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This was a stunning story following three women—a mother (Kambirinachi) and her twin daughters (Kehinde and Taiye)—and the complex grief and trauma  they each carried. The story switches between past and present, between locations, with everything coming together in Lagos, the three of them reunited years later and having to confront the traumatic event that broke them apart.

This book is a deep dive into family relationships—particularly between the sisters—but it is also a beautiful reflection on motherhood, platonic and romantic love (particularly queer love), and reconciliation. Ekwuyasi crafted her characters beautifully and poignantly, giving the reader time to pause and reflect with them on these themes. Significantly, another running theme in this book is the power of food. Cooking and eating become intimate moments of introspection and conversation that peel the layers of each character and lay them bare. It really emphasizes how food is more than just food; it's a moment to commune and share a moment that becomes engraved as memory.

Ekwuyasi is an incredible writer, on top of that. Her lyrical prose will draw you in, and her food descriptions in particular will leave you hungry. Seriously, try not to read this book on an empty stomach.

This book isn’t a lighthearted read by any means. There are a lot of dark moments that may be triggering (e.g., rape, miscarriage, suicide, etc.) that come up, but I felt they were handled with sensitivity.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming

ecn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy