The following is a “review” (?) of Francesca Ekwuyasi’s brilliant debut novel, ‘Butter Honey Pig Bread”. (Okay, it’s probably more of a reflection/reaction piece).
It’s been too long since I allowed myself to devour a novel. I remember promising myself, about six years ago, to not lose the essential part that makes me who I am. You know, the part that helps me keep my shit together (i.e., reading novels!!). But, unfortunately, like most promises I make, I broke it. The past six years have been a blur at best. I’m astounded by the passage of time, but I would be remiss if I don’t point out that I also sharply remember the moments when time moved so slowly – like molasses in January. The excruciating all-nighters that somewhat seemed necessary because a lecture needed to be finished or an article or chapter needed to be written. And yet, here I am, having dared to indulge myself – and there’s still that chapter that I owe someone. It’s almost two years late. I’m embarrassed. I have all my notes ready. I just haven’t had that dedicated time to write it. Yet. I somehow stopped feeling guilty about it just a few weeks ago (next week is another week. We shall see. Sigh*). Oh my goodness. I should stop with the long preamble. It’s like one of those recipes…you must keep scrolling down to find, after reading a million stories about it. The recipe, becoming a needle in a haystack of certainly delightful (?) stories, but seemingly unnecessary especially when you’re in a hurry!
Okay, so all I’m trying to say, in a nutshell, is that against my better judgement (no, no, no, this was good judgment!), I decided to start reading a book, while my syllabus remained unfinished, and my forthcoming virtual focus group with participants still needing a little more planning. No regrets whatsoever though (truly). Butter Honey Pig Bread is apparently the book that I needed (although as a vegetarian, some parts made me cringe … especially descriptions about chickens and pigs getting killed, but I digress). Butter Honey Pig Bread sucked me in right away. The first night, I wanted to keep reading it, but my tired eyes failed me, and I drifted off to sleep and my dreams became intertwined with the stories of the characters. That’s how seriously delicious the book is. On the matter of delicious, props to the author for engaging with the beautiful art of cooking and baking. Taiye (one of the characters) practiced this art so effortlessly, I was incredibly envious and also motivated to go into the kitchen myself (I love cooking, but I spend less time in the kitchen nowadays trying to make magic. I eat to survive. Tonight, I had a bowl of cereal!! And snuck in some freshly fried akara my mom made).
Okay. Okay. It’s 2:49am (I just finished devouring the book on my second night; this time, my eyes stayed open) and I just want/need to get this out because once I wake up, I won’t have time to do it. I just can’t recommend this book enough. If you’re looking for something that 1) challenges (or confirms) your ways of knowing – particularly about the relationship between the physical world and the spirit/’unseen’ world, 2) discusses the real life messiness of relationships, the pain of loneliness/loss and the importance of love and forgiveness, 3) engages with critical race theory, and 4) embraces queer life…then, this is the book for you! The writing style/device is bomb diggity. Just. Wow. It’s beautifully written. Period. I very much loved the back-and-forth, interwoven stories of the lives of the twins, Taiye and Kehinde, and their mother, Kambirinachi. The characters come across as very real (a key success of this book). The rawness of their joy, pain and yearning got to me.
Yes, I haven’t really given the synopsis of the book (you can find it here). I’m just here to testify to the goodness of allowing yourself time to indulge. If you love reading but can’t find time (or it’s gone way down on your list of priorities), it’s okay, make the time (yah, I know easier said than done). Get temporarily lost (it’s good medicine and so liberating!). And if you’re looking for a recommendation, go with Butter Honey Pig Bread!