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shaynicole's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Death of parent, and Death
rieviolet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
4.5
I picked up this book at my library on a whim and I ended up pleasantly surprised. It is a really engaging story and it also feels very fresh, like nothing I've read before.
It is told in a dual POV and I have to admit I was particularly drawn to Darwin's chapters (compared to the ones in Yejide's perspective). His narrative voice is just so strong and captivating, it was honestly beautiful to witness his character development.
The writing is very atmospheric and the author does a great job of building and breathing life into the spaces that these characters inhabit.
I didn't like a short segment in Yejide's POV where the writing got a bit too experimental for my liking, it felt too fragmented and stream of consciousness-like. Also, I would have liked a bit more of exploration into Yejide's character and the gift connected to her lineage.
However, these are minor grievances, overall I really enjoyed the reading experience and I look forward to Ayanna Lloyd Banwo's future projects.
It is told in a dual POV and I have to admit I was particularly drawn to Darwin's chapters (compared to the ones in Yejide's perspective). His narrative voice is just so strong and captivating, it was honestly beautiful to witness his character development.
The writing is very atmospheric and the author does a great job of building and breathing life into the spaces that these characters inhabit.
I didn't like a short segment in Yejide's POV where the writing got a bit too experimental for my liking, it felt too fragmented and stream of consciousness-like. Also, I would have liked a bit more of exploration into Yejide's character and the gift connected to her lineage.
However, these are minor grievances, overall I really enjoyed the reading experience and I look forward to Ayanna Lloyd Banwo's future projects.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Blood, Slavery, Bullying, and Body horror
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Sexism, Drug use, Cursing, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Child death, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Torture
erebus53's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Set in Trinidad this is a strange story about a man who is raised Rastafarian, and who has sworn not to deal with dead bodies, and a woman who has been raised in a family of strong women with supernatural ability to know those who have passed. When he comes of a certain age, Emmanuel tries to get a job and the only thing going is working as a gravedigger. His boss is dodgy, and there's some sort of sidehustle that his coworkers are all in on, but he is loathe to get embroiled in that sort of thing. He doesn't even like rum.
When I first started it I found it a little unwieldy to get into. The style is lyrical and it is all about setting and the vibe of Trinidad, with its flowers and birds, hot weather and old wooden houses, family and food. Amongst this we have a sense of the expectations our mothers put upon us, and the sense of abandonment harboured when our parents do not live up to our hopes. RIght in with all this is mystical dream walking, and haunting, and legends of older times.
There is a sense of finding one's place, and the ending of the story is both unearthly and also satisfying. Gave me my first tears for the new year, but I'm not complaining!
When I first started it I found it a little unwieldy to get into. The style is lyrical and it is all about setting and the vibe of Trinidad, with its flowers and birds, hot weather and old wooden houses, family and food. Amongst this we have a sense of the expectations our mothers put upon us, and the sense of abandonment harboured when our parents do not live up to our hopes. RIght in with all this is mystical dream walking, and haunting, and legends of older times.
There is a sense of finding one's place, and the ending of the story is both unearthly and also satisfying. Gave me my first tears for the new year, but I'm not complaining!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
ameliasbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Usually I have some problems with magical realism, mainly I would say, because it is not part of my cultural background, so I am feeling unfortunately distant to it.
This story got me, maybe because I am interested as much in burial rites in other countries as I am in cemeteries and because I like ghost stories.
I wasn't that much interested in the love story, but into each of the main characters life story.
This story got me, maybe because I am interested as much in burial rites in other countries as I am in cemeteries and because I like ghost stories.
I wasn't that much interested in the love story, but into each of the main characters life story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol and Grief
rokinjaguar's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Interesting! Had some cool ideas and was well done, but didn’t fully live up to its potential, I felt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment and Cursing
Minor: Child death, Bullying, and Slavery
bookishmillennial's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
What a gorgeously written literary romance. I listened to the audiobook and I highly recommend it, as the narration was excellent 👌🏽
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
fluffy1st's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Bullying
auudrey's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Religious bigotry, Bullying, and Abandonment
neevechristine's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I really struggled to read this before bed! lovely sentiment, took a while to get settled in. Not my usual genre so I found quite eerie and disturbing for me as I’m sensitive
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Grief, Classism, Death of parent, Slavery, and Bullying
jayisreading's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
Knowing very little about Trinidad and Tobago, When We Were Birds was a delight to read to learn more about Trinidadian culture. There’s beautiful prose and a wonderful rhythm in Banwo’s storytelling that pulls you into the novel, the use of Trinidadian English further immersing you. Centering the living’s relationship with death through Yejide and Darwin, we also discover the prevalence of complex love in death, especially in one’s relationships.
I have to admit, as beautifully written as this book was, the pacing was kind of all over the place for me, with the beginning being a little too slow and the ending a bit fast. In addition, I would have loved Yejide’s character to be fleshed out more; it felt as though Banwo spent far more time with Darwin that we have a better sense of who he is. (I must also confess, I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I was in a better headspace, but I had to return the book soon…)
This was a wonderful debut novel, though, and I really look forward to what more Banwo has in store for her readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Murder