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A review by booklandish
When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
4.0
This was so good! The plot was compelling and kept me engaged throughout and both character perspectives moved me. At first, the writing really disoriented me because it is broken english/Trinidadian creole, but once I settled into it I found it to be so immersive and the use of language became such a great feature of this story.
Bullet review:
- Sense of belonging
- Unique writing style
- Romance side-plot
- Dual POVs
- Ghosts and spirits
- Magical realism
- Trinidadian lore
- Family themes
I particularly loved the inner turmoil explored here between family heritage and individuality as well as the connection between the two protagonists. And funnily enough, it reminded me so much of Black Water Sister by Zen Cho. Even though this one is set in Trinidad while the latter is set in Malaysia, they had a lot of similar elements, and would recommend both for the same reasons.
As a lover of magical realism, I'm eager to see what this author comes up with next!
Bullet review:
- Sense of belonging
- Unique writing style
- Romance side-plot
- Dual POVs
- Ghosts and spirits
- Magical realism
- Trinidadian lore
- Family themes
I particularly loved the inner turmoil explored here between family heritage and individuality as well as the connection between the two protagonists. And funnily enough, it reminded me so much of Black Water Sister by Zen Cho. Even though this one is set in Trinidad while the latter is set in Malaysia, they had a lot of similar elements, and would recommend both for the same reasons.
As a lover of magical realism, I'm eager to see what this author comes up with next!