Butter Honey Pig Bread

by Francesca Ekwuyasi • 2022

Francesca Ekwuyasi’s debut novel tells the interwoven stories of twin sisters, Taiye and Kehinde. Their mother, Kambirinachi is an Ọgbanje who wonders if her unnatural choice to stay alive to love her human family was the best decision. Kehinde experiences a devastating childhood trauma that fractures the family. As soon as she’s of age, she moves away and cuts all contact with her twin sister and mother. Alone in Montreal, Kehinde struggles to heal, while building her life. Plagued by guilt about what happened to her sister, Taiye lives a life of reckless hedonism in London, hoping to numb the pain of being excluded from Kehinde’s life. After a decade of living apart, Taiye and Kehinde return home to Lagos to visit their mother. To move forward, the three women must face each other and address the wounds of the past. Butter Honey Pig Bread is a tale of choices and consequences; the malleable line between body and spirit; motherhood, voracious appetites, friendship and family.