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A review by bethreadsandnaps
When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
3.75
3.75 stars
This is totally not in my normal reading genres, but I pushed myself to read this for book club and ended up liking it more than I thought I would.
This is a dual narrative from the perspectives of Yejide and Darwin. Yejide's mother has just died, and she has been tasked with carrying on the family destiny. That destiny is pretty mystical, and honestly I didn't grasp other than they are supposed to soften people's journeys to the afterlife.
Darwin is from a Rastafarian family, which does not interact with death, and he is forced to take a job gravedigging to support himself and his mother. At work he crosses paths with Yejide, and they take an instant liking to one another.
Will these two make their own way despite the binds of their families?
This novel started out very slow. And the mystical (bird) parts sometimes flummoxed me. I enjoyed Darwin's parts that were more literal. I enjoyed learning about the cultural aspects, particularly that on the same island there are such beliefs that are at odds.
There's also a bit of a mystery thrown in that I enjoyed.
Overall, a strong debut despite not being in a genre (magical realism) that I gravitate to.
This is totally not in my normal reading genres, but I pushed myself to read this for book club and ended up liking it more than I thought I would.
This is a dual narrative from the perspectives of Yejide and Darwin. Yejide's mother has just died, and she has been tasked with carrying on the family destiny. That destiny is pretty mystical, and honestly I didn't grasp other than they are supposed to soften people's journeys to the afterlife.
Darwin is from a Rastafarian family, which does not interact with death, and he is forced to take a job gravedigging to support himself and his mother. At work he crosses paths with Yejide, and they take an instant liking to one another.
Will these two make their own way despite the binds of their families?
This novel started out very slow. And the mystical (bird) parts sometimes flummoxed me. I enjoyed Darwin's parts that were more literal. I enjoyed learning about the cultural aspects, particularly that on the same island there are such beliefs that are at odds.
There's also a bit of a mystery thrown in that I enjoyed.
Overall, a strong debut despite not being in a genre (magical realism) that I gravitate to.