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A review by serendipitysbooks
Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejidé
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
*Women’s Prize Longlist 2022 - Book 16*
With Creatures of Passage I’m pretty sure I’ve saved the best until last. While I want to give it time to settle I’m virtually certain that, despite the stiff competition, this is my favourite of the sixteen contenders. It is certainly the most challenging not only in terms of structure and style (although I didn’t find it difficult, just complex), but also in terms of content. Be sure to check for trigger warnings before you pick it up. However, the reader is richly rewarded for their effort. The book is stunning and the comparisons with Toni Morrison are not overstated.
Set in Anacostia, a suburb of Washington DC, in 1977, at its simplest it is the story of the Kinwell family - twins Nephthys and Osiris, Osiris’s daughter Amber, and her son Dash. But it is also about so much more. It blends Egyptian mythology, ghosts, alternate history and magical realism with the awful realities of grief, generational trauma, racism, war, child abuse and other harms we do to each other . It is very specific and intimate, while also being universal and timeless. It is incredibly rich, multi-layered and nuanced with lush, poetic prose. Motifs, language and storylines repeat, cycle back and twine around each other. Somehow Yejide has managed to link into a rich literary lineage - not just Morrison but Zora Hurston Neale, Alice Walker and of course the African oral folklore tradition- while remaining unique not derivative. The audio, narrated by the author herself, was compelling and riveting. I was totally absorbed by this story that both was and wasn’t of this world. I loved this book so much that I plan to buy a physical copy and reread - both rarities for me. I’ll also be prioritising her earlier novel.
This won’t be for every reader but I was blown away by this mesmerising tale.
With Creatures of Passage I’m pretty sure I’ve saved the best until last. While I want to give it time to settle I’m virtually certain that, despite the stiff competition, this is my favourite of the sixteen contenders. It is certainly the most challenging not only in terms of structure and style (although I didn’t find it difficult, just complex), but also in terms of content. Be sure to check for trigger warnings before you pick it up. However, the reader is richly rewarded for their effort. The book is stunning and the comparisons with Toni Morrison are not overstated.
Set in Anacostia, a suburb of Washington DC, in 1977, at its simplest it is the story of the Kinwell family - twins Nephthys and Osiris, Osiris’s daughter Amber, and her son Dash. But it is also about so much more. It blends Egyptian mythology, ghosts, alternate history and magical realism with the awful realities of grief, generational trauma, racism, war, child abuse and other harms we do to each other . It is very specific and intimate, while also being universal and timeless. It is incredibly rich, multi-layered and nuanced with lush, poetic prose. Motifs, language and storylines repeat, cycle back and twine around each other. Somehow Yejide has managed to link into a rich literary lineage - not just Morrison but Zora Hurston Neale, Alice Walker and of course the African oral folklore tradition- while remaining unique not derivative. The audio, narrated by the author herself, was compelling and riveting. I was totally absorbed by this story that both was and wasn’t of this world. I loved this book so much that I plan to buy a physical copy and reread - both rarities for me. I’ll also be prioritising her earlier novel.
This won’t be for every reader but I was blown away by this mesmerising tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism and Racism