I've been struggling to find the words to do this book justice. This debut novel by Ekwuyasi is captivating, heartbreaking and simply put, outstanding. Her characters are complex and her prose is beautiful. Though we alternate between narrators and jump around through time, the story remains easy to follow and understand.

Ekwuyasi's depiction of the precarious relationship between twin sisters Kehinde and Taiye and the strained relationship they each have with their mother, Kambirinachi, felt authentic. She effortlessly weaves the blame, shame, and guilt that can follow a traumatic experience into the lives of these characters in a way that engulfs the reader, dissolving the boundary of this fictional world. This feeling may have been more pronounced for me as I listened to the audiobook which was fantastically narrated by Amaka Umeh.

Butter Honey Pig Bread was nominated for the Giller Prize in 2020 and was a finalist in CBC Canada Reads 2021. I can't recommend it enough.

I had to DNF this book because it just really wasn't for me. Though I may have liked it better in print, all the sexual scenes were uncomfortable for me to listen to.

Loved the writing style, the characters, the descriptions of places and the food oh the food! Amazing book and so well written! Thank Arsenal Pulp Press for this gifted copy.

This debut novel was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and was a runner up on Canada Reads 2021. The story is about three Nigerian women: Kambirinachi and her twin daughters, Kehinde and Taiye. All three are torn apart by a horrifying tragedy and come together almost 10 years later. They have a complex relationship; Kambirinachi believes she is an Ogbanje, a spirit whose human form usually dies in childhood. She decided to remain in human form and becomes a wife and mother, but is haunted by voices from the spirit world. The daughters lives diverge, but both are haunted by loneliness and trauma. When they finally come together, they are forced to deal with their pasts and forge a new future.
I enjoyed this novel because all of the characters were written in a realistic way and the secondary characters, especially Timi and Banje add depth to the story. Food is also a key character in the novel as it was often used to bring people together. I also enjoyed learning about Nigerian culture.

Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi

“She tended to the garden of her life and grew a community, a community that shows up.”

To be grounded in something holds significant power. There are many things that aim to ground us; our family, our community, and often our deepest truth.

But what if our truth is something so painful that instead of grounding us it separates us from truly finding ourselves and being ourselves.

In Honey Butter Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi we see how the truth can separate a family. The book is a total work of art, and I couldn’t put it down. At its core, it’s a story of twin sisters whose bond is deep and whose pain separates them both physically and emotionally. But truly it is a story of women who are hungry for connection and hungry for healing.

The book tells the story of three Nigerian women: Kambirinachi and her twin daughters, Kehinde and Taiye. Taking place in Nigeria, Canada, and Europe the book spans oceans and speaks to the power of love, bonds, and family ties.

Kambirinachi is an extremely spiritual person and she’s tied immensely to the spiritual world. She is an ogbanje - a spirit so tied to the other world they are born into ours only to die in moments. But somehow she manages to stay and we follow her journey as a young girl, as a smart witty college student then as a wife and new mother. Throughout her journey, she’s guided by a sort of spiritual energy that tries to unground her from her physical life. But I’ve always believed that the spirit cannot leave the earth until it has completed its purpose.

We also follow the twins who have a deep spiritual connection but are separated from each other by a childhood trauma that tore them apart. The truth and pain of the trauma send them in different directions, living two separate and very different lives in separate parts of the world.

Taiye who is plagued with guilt is unable to keep a relationship and has casual flings with women all over. When her twin cuts ties to her she travels to find herself. Suffering from pain and deep loneliness she struggles to build a life without her twin. Her hunger for connection makes her disconnect and she ends up finding solace and purpose in food. Throughout the book, her decadent cooking and recipes serve as a backdrop to how she’s feeling and food truly acts as a way for her to express her feelings and connect to others.

Taiye’s story and voice is the one that leaps most off the page. Getting to know her and seeing her absolute rawness was both beautiful and ugly but it made the book come alive. The way her pain manifests, the way I just wanted to love her made me question how her sister could not.

Kehinde, the other twin, left Lagos and never looked back, fleeing the haunting memories of the 'Bad Thing' that happened to her. Cutting herself off from her past, and sadly her twin she builds a new life and buries her pain.

At a crossroad, both girls end up going back to Lagos to visit their mom for the first time in years. And at first, seeing each other is an awkward encounter but when they are finally able to discuss some of the issues that have plagued their relationship it is an impactful and beautiful part of the book that had me anxiously reading.

I loved this book so much. The gripping simplicity of the writing, the character development, and how the author managed to tell so many stories throughout the book.

It was a beautiful exploration of Nigerian culture and traditions, queer culture, family relationships and bonds, and the pain of sexual trauma.

This is one of those books I want to read again and again because I know each time I will find something I missed.

I'M OBSESSED! I requested this book on Netgally because I thought the cover and the title were interesting, but, I'll admit, I didn't have very high expectation for debut novel, but THIS BOOK BLEW MY MIND! ⁠
⁠
I have never read anything like this and it's incredible AND it's a DEBUT NOVEL! ⁠
⁠
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi is an intergenerational saga about three Nigerian women. It's a story of voracious appetites, queer love, friendship, faith, forgiveness, and above all, family.⁠

⁠I cannot rave enough about how luscious and delectable this book was. If I could add it to my earlier list of indulgent book recommendations, I would, because this book is just dripping with artistry.⁠

Butter Honey Pig Bread is a feast for the senses. It is indulgent, sensuous, visceral, and layered. It is a book to be savoured slowly, letting the sumptuous prose carefully peel away the layers to reveal richly developed authentic characters who want to live fully and freely but are struggling to heal familial wounds.

“Hold it gently, this hungry beast that is your heart. Feed it well.”

This book centers on the lives of three Nigerian women, Kambinarachi, a woman who considers herself an Ogbanje, an Igbo reincarnating spirit who dies repeatedly in childhood to the grief of her family, and her twin daughters, Kehinde and Taiye.

The theme of consumption, both literal and figurative, runs deep within this novel. Decadent food and bodies are relished and devoured. Taiye dives deep into hedonism to “quench the howling loneliness” that consumes her. Kambi is constantly battling and negotiating with her spiritual kin who consume her thoughts, and Kehinde is consumed by her past traumas and fears, making reconciliation between the three family members difficult.

Ekwuyasi's portrayal of trauma, loneliness, queerness, and mental health is honest, messy, and full of heart. This novel is an exquisite exploration of characters. If we had to choose, Taiye’s chapters were our favourite (not to mention she makes the best food)! We also loved the secondary characters that came in and out of the women’s lives. Each one unique and fully realized for the short time we get to know them.

This book transports us across the globe from Lagos to South London, from Montpellier to Montreal, from Halifax to Tangier. Having traveled and/or lived in four of these six places, I loved immersing myself in places familiar to me, yet experienced anew from the character’s point of view. There is a tremendous sense of place in this novel.

The food, the characters, the locations, the conversations and the healing. Butter Honey Pig Bread is a novel begging to be devoured!

This interwoven story of family and self is one to savor. The writing evokes emotion and a feeling of being part of the places and experiences. The food and love scenes are at different times sweet, spicy or savory. Descriptions of cooking, and sex, were detailed and exquisite. Relationships were complicated, and gaining understanding from multiple characters led to deep understanding of the impacts of beliefs, trauma, fears, and love.

When Kehinde reads the letters and gets to know what was happening with Tanya's life, it's gripping. The out of order, crumbs are incredibly interesting and mirrors how we never get a true full story about the lives of those closest to us.

"I think Taiye is avoiding me, which is ironic and extremely irritating considering how often she use to write to me when we were a whole ocean apart. But I know I have no right to be annoyed or demand more than she's giving considering how absent I've been. Ocean, or bedroom door, or unspoken hurt, something always remains lodged between us."

I enjoy the audiobook and the exceptional reading preformed by Amaka Umeh is one not to miss.

Long-listed, Scotiabank Giller Prize 2020
Short-listed, Canada Reads 2021

Thank you to Net Galley and Bespeak Audio Editiobs for providing access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful, lyrical book that pulls you into the lives of three women who are bound in heart ache and tragedy who at the same time realize the power and joy of family. The narrator brought the words to live and added another layer to the storytelling that made it pure joy to listen even during the difficult times. This is a book I would add to a high school library collection and one I would book talk often.

Francesca Ekwuyasi's debut novel is seductive from the start. Weaving elements of fantasy, it takes place in Nigeria with the introduction of Kambirinachi -- a young girl who believes she is a Ogbanje, a human spirit who brings grief to the family by dying and being reborn over and over. The story expands to other continents and her two twin daughters, Taiye and Kehinde, and that is where Ekwuyasi shines. Her skills lay in expressing the depths of human emotion-- from the highest of highs to the moments of despair and loneliness. She offers rich expressions of human beings while they explore their relationships with each other--  the characters are not perfect, but full of complexity, emotion and empathy. 

My absolute favorite is Taiye. She is both vulnerable and fierce, robust and hungry. I couldn't get enough of her movement, her expression, her cooking, and her yearning to be whole. Ekwuyasi makes her come alive, and the pages are filled with her regret and earnest need to be loved and understood. 

I'm pretty sure Ekwuyasi needs to write a cookbook next. The integration of Taiye's cooking and recipes were a delectable treat.

An absolutely stunning and transportative family saga. This book follows three characters: twin sisters Kehinde and Taiye, and their mother Kambirinachi. The timeline jumps around between the present day reunion of the three, the time the twins spent estranged as young adults, and then back to their mother’s story (from birth to adulthood). The story is so full of love, guilt, pain, trauma, and personal discovery. And then there are elements of magic/mysticism/folklore that take me by surprise- Kambirinachi believes that she is an Ogbanje, a non-human spirit in the Nigerian tradition that plagues a family with misfortune. This element is introduced at the very beginning of the novel, but as the story unfolds you sort of get carried away in the reality of the characters so that you forget about it, until it is dropped back in matter of factly, and then: ohhhhh yeah! Angry spirits. It is just so well done. It should also be noted the story takes place over three continents, with the characters exploring their identities in Europe and North America, and bringing that self knowledge home with them to Africa.

This book is currently 1/5 books that are part of this years Canada Reads installment. Now that I have listened to the book, I think I'm going to go back and read the actual book. Some parts of the book I found a little confusing and wished that I could read the words instead of listening to it again. I think I may missed some pieces because of this. That being said, overall, this book touches on so many important topics such as motherhood, complex family relationships, trauma, figuring out your way in this world... to name a few. Definitely going to buy a book as I think there are some pieces to the book I may have missed.

Hold it gently, this hungry beast that is your heart. Feed it well.

This book fed my heart. Butter Honey Pig Butter is the third book I’ve read just this month that centres around estranged black sisters, and while all three were 4 or 5 star reads for me, Taiye and Kehinde stole the slow for me.

Kehinde has run away after a traumatic event as a child, leaving her twin sister Taiye, and their mother Kambirinachi drowning with her absence. The story follows the three women, through their own separate childhoods, until current day, switching perspectives flawlessly.

Theirs is a beautiful, enchanting story to devour. Taiye’s struggle with the loss of her sister, and her story with being a lesbian is one of the best narratives I’ve read in a long time. Kambirinachi’s life is intriguing and beautiful. Kehinde is distant and scared and I want to give her a hug. They’re all wonderful women, with wonderful stories to tell.

Not everything is resolved at the end of the book, but that feels right. Honey Butter Pig Bread is extremely realistic and believable, and wrapping everything up in a little bow at the end wouldn’t feel quite right. I choose to believe their story falls into place eventually, but I’m okay without reading it.

I want to recommend this book to everyone ever.

I am so happy that I picked up this debut novel! Francesca Ekwuyasi weaves a tale about three Nigerian women and how their lives were fractured and yet they are still connected.

Kambirinachi lives in Lagos, Nigeria and believes that she is a spirit who brings bad luck to her family. Her husband is murdered and she is left with her twin daughters Kehinde and Taiye. After one of the girl's is sexually abused, their lives are torn assunder.
At the age of 18, Kehinde immigrates to Canada and cuts herself off from her sister. She is bitter about her past but works to build a new life.

Taiye is the true star of the book, in my opinion. She feels guilt and confusion about being cut off by her sister. She winds up in London, UK where she attends culinary school. She explores her sexuality through a number of flings, but has a hard time settling down with just one woman.

The story alternates through the perspectives of these three women. My favorite parts were Taiye's. She practically leapt right off the page as a fully formed person. The writing throughout was beautiful and the author's descriptions of Taiye's food made me hungry.

I listened to the audio book and it was awesome! I highly recommend this one!

Butter Honey Pig Bread is a story of two sisters, twins, who gew apart and are now coming back together, staying with their mother in Lagos. The twins became exchanged after a traumatic event, which is hinted at from the beginning of their narrative, and exacerbated by the difference in how the twins feel they are perceived and treated. In addition, the mother believes herself to be an "ogbanje", a spirit that is not suppose to remain in the human world long, but decided to live a full human life. The book is divided into four parts, as the title, and follows the women through their lives. Overall, it weaves a rich story of family, falling apart and healing.

This book excels at: portrayals of culture, family intimacy, hurt, and how disconnection stops us from healing. As each woman tries to deal with life in their own way, we see the adaptive and maladaptive methods they utilize to save themselves. The sisters who have been pulled apart by tragedy, also differ in almost all other areas, except their want to feel secure and loved, which is closer than they realize. The book also brings in the cultural importance of food and many scenes are built around this.

The book struggles a tiny bit with the addition of the mother's spirtual beingness with the grounded realism of the daughters. As ogbanje spirits cause grief for a family by dying early to be born again and die again, there is something to be drawn from her choosing to stay, as grief strikes her family in other ways. While these chapters will probably be difficult for some readers to fully understand and appreciate, I think the cultural context that it calls on, can add another layer if the reader understands what the spirit is and represents. I almost wish these were two different stories, or at least that they were told in succession rather than being intertwined.

This book is definitely worth the read, and the audiobook was enjoyable. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I stand in awe of how Ekwuyasi captures the human condition and of how this elegant debut novel came together. With three character narratives set in three continents and with a non-linear timeline, it explores grief, pain, joy, spirituality, healing, and love.

Much of the book is emotionally heavy, covering sexual abuse, miscarriage, and deliberate self harm via risk taking behavior. But it also captures growth, sex, love, and forgiveness in a way that feels authentic and natural.

Food is used as a metaphor throughout, touching on our healthy or unhealthy relationships with food, the complicated science behind making food, and the joy and comforts of eating and celebrating with good food.

I listened to the audiobook thanks to a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The narration is lovely though I found that the narrator speaks very slowly and I had to increase the narration speed significantly.

Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi has been on my radar since it was longlisted for the Giller Prize in 2020. The title is appealing with a bit of mystery to it and the story sounded engaging as well. I was happy when the book was shortlisted for Canada Reads 2021 because it was the final push to get reading.

This novel takes place in Nigeria and Canada. It is narrated by Kambirinachi and her twin daughters Kehinde and Taiye. When the novel begins we know that there is tension between these women and they are about to be reunited after quite some time. From Kamirinachi we learn of her past and how she believes she is an ogbanje - a spirit born that plagues the family by dying in childhood and being reborn. She decides to live, she falls in love and raises her two daughters.

Growing up, Kehinde and Taiye are close as twins tend to be. Taiye doesn't speak much but Kehinde has her words. They look for one another and the other is always there. Until there is a trauma that begins to separate them. Kehinde and Taiye both leave, Kehinde to Montreal and Taiye to Halifax. Their lives are very different, but they each experience guilt and loneliness, rejection and love.

The relationships are authentic and deeply moving. Somehow, Ekwuyasi is able to cover a lot of topics: racism, queer love, miscarriage, rape, motherhood, faith, and family dynamics.

This is a beautifully written debut novel. The lyrical prose paint vivid pictures of culture, especially of food. The descriptions of food make you drool but also lead to memories or give you more insight to a character. The language is like reading a melody and I look forward to the next novel from Francesca Ekwuyasi.

The audio of this novel is narrated by Amakah Umeh and she really brings this story to life. Her pronunciation of the Nigerian words and the accent made this even more realistic and beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bespeak Audio Editions for an audio copy of this novel.

Bookworm Rating: 🐛🐛🐛🐛

This book was absolutely STUNNING. Probably one of my favorites of 2021 already. The characters and their relationships, whether with one another or external, were SO dynamic and intimate and I fell in love with each of the three women. This book draws you in and paints a beautiful picture of their lives as they travel the world and reconnect and fall in love. I can’t believe this is a debut book because it’s so amazing and well constructed!

This was a delightful story to listen to. I loved the diversity (BIPOC and LGBTQAI+) and all the food! The food was beyond amazing. I loved the characters and their relationships. Parts were slightly slow for me. Fair warning there is adult content in this one, so it is not for the young ones. TW for many topics including childhood assault, miscarriage, and serious mental health tragedy. If you can handle these topics the book is worth the thought provoking read.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Francesca Ekwuyasi has made literary strides in her debut, Butter Honey Pig Bread. A generational story featuring a mother and her twin daughters, this story is slow-paced but rewarding in its delivery. It's easy to feel empathetic for each of the characters, who all have their own traumas rooted in fear or abandonment. Kambirinachi is a Obangi, meant only to haunt a family and die. Instead, Kambirinachi decides to live her life as a human, after the birth of her twins, Kehinde and Taiye. Due to "The Bad Thing," which happed to Kehinde as a child, Kehinde estranges herself from Taiye and her mother. Taiye, now facing her own flavor of abandonment, also leaves home and grows up overcompensating her loss through lustful and casual encounters with women. When all three women finally come together and admit their feelings to each other, the sensation is deeply satisfying for the reader.

While reading the book, it was clear that Ekwuyasi's strength is in her absolutely gorgeous writing. The detail and style of the book certainly doesn't feel like a debut novelist wrote it, especially as different foods and cultural aspects of the story are highlighted. This is a book to be savored, as if were a favorite childhood meal. I would highly recommend reading this book in a group setting, where aspects of the characters' personalities, trauma, and purpose are contemplated fully. Kambirinachi's story can also be interpreted as a journey through mental illness. The whole novel speaks to the theme of food and culture. These concepts are appreciated more through a deeper and more meaningful consumption of the text, which is acquired mostly through slower and deliberate reading.

Before reading, be mindful that while the writing is decadent, there are quite a number of content warnings which a reader should consider before reading. Some of the content in this book can be deeply triggering, especially considering the detail which exists within the novel.