Reading (Some of) Shawn's 5-Star Books: Francesca Ekwuyasi, Butter Honey Pig Bread

Book #2: Butter Honey Pig Bread, Francesca Ekwuyasi

(Cover image from goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51168133-butter-honey-pig-bread)

Francesca Ekwuyasi’s Butter Honey Pig Bread

In Butter Honey Pig Bread, each of the four sections is titled based on each of the food items in the title of the book and focuses on three women: Kambirinachi and her two twin daughters, Kehinde and Taiye. I loved that each section of the novel focused on a food item. In fact, food is the main reason I enjoyed Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. But food isn’t strong enough to keep the women bonded together, for when Kehinde and Taiye are young girls, a traumatic event causes the estrangement of the sisters and their mother. While Kambirinachi lives in Lagos (Nigeria), the sisters live in Canada (Montreal and Halifax).

I’ve wanted to read Butter Honey Pig Bread both because of the high praise given it and because it was longlisted for Canada’s (Scotiabank) Giller Prize. I’m so glad that I finally read it because I really enjoyed it! I’m not always a fan of books about sisters and their tumultuous relationships. I’m also not a fan of books about strained mother-daughter relationships. I think that I don’t like reading about the problems between mothers and daughters and sisters is because:

1. I had a great relationship with my mother; and

2. My sister and I spent most of our lives misunderstanding one another which eventually blew up in our faces. We’re good now, but my own experience made it harder to read about the rift between Kehinde and Taiye. Reading about how these three women misunderstood each other and refused to communicate with one another was tough and hurt my heart, but that’s part of what made this story so good, that my emotional reaction to the story was so deep and profound.

I think that of the three women’s stories, I enjoyed Taiye’s most. I’m not exactly sure why that is, but it might be because she feels that Kehinde is upset with her about something and attempts—in her own way—to never stop communicating with Kehinde. Taiye’s letters to Kehinde eventually stop, but throughout the novel, readers are privy to what Taiye wrote to Kehinde.

The stories of the three women aren’t told chronologically, but it’s not difficult to follow their storylines, and the movement between and among each section is smooth. Kambirinachi’s storyline consists of her life in Lagos pre- and post-marriage, her pregnancy with her twin daughters, and life with her daughters. Her storyline is also entrenched in spiritualism as Kambirinachi is forced to make difficult choices and sacrifices. With Taiye and Kehinde’s storylines, we get glimpses of their childhood and see how one event causes the a fissure in their relationship and how the rift between the two becomes so wide that it’s impossible to bridge the gap.

The three are reunited in Lagos where they are able to finally open up about their feelings and reconcile.

For me, the plot wasn’t special. However, what drew me in was Taiye’s character development, specifically the ways in which is able to recognize destructive behaviours, learn from them, and grow as a person. For me, her arc was less about how she contributed (or rather didn’t) to what happened to her twin and more about how she was able to live successfully without a relationship with her sister and/or mother. I found myself curious about how the lack of those two relationships impacted who she was and who she became. I’m so thankful that I got to have my mom in my life for 29 years, but when she passed away, the hole in my life was so big, that I actually felt lost without her love, support, and guidance and I know it was the same for my sister. My father helped fill that hole, but no (female) family member or friend ever tried to fill that void. Similarly in the novel, I think when the twins experience trauma, both Taiye and Kehinde move through their own lives alone until they find someone who grounds them.

I realize that my personal connection to the story changes how I read and related to it, but it really was a great read...But was it a 5-star read?!? I'm still not sure. I think that it was really good...But not quite 5 stars for me. That being said, I would recommend this novel. I would buy it as a gift. I would also purchase a copy for my own library!