Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

If anyone would like to lead the November discussion for Butter Honey Pig Bread, please let me know. You can respond here or dm me directly. Thanks!

Our discussion for BUTTER HONEY PIG BREAD commences today. Has anyone started it yet?

ive read it. grateful for this read! excited to discuss w folks. havent participated in a discussion on this forum before, so not hoping to lead it at this time.

ColumbusReads wrote: "Our discussion for BUTTER HONEY PIG BREAD commences today. Has anyone started it yet?"

I'll be starting it tomorrow. As I've explained before, I'm 70 & often ill, so I'm unable to lead.

ColumbusReads wrote: "If anyone would like to lead the November discussion for Butter Honey Pig Bread, please let me know. You can respond here or dm me directly. Thanks!"

Hello, I'm about to finish part 2 and would be happy to try lead. ColumbusReads - I've sent you a friend request. Is there a discussion on requirements for leading? This book would lend itself to one part per week

Mandy wrote: "ColumbusReads wrote: "If anyone would like to lead the November discussion for Butter Honey Pig Bread, please let me know. You can respond here or dm me directly. Thanks!"

Hello, I'm about to fini..."

Hello Mandy, no, there’s no requirement to lead only a desire to. And one part a week sounds great!

Hi everyone, I'm leading the discussion for our November read. The book is divided into four parts, for each of the names in the title. We'll discuss:

Butter 2-9 November
Honey 10-16 November
Pig 17-23 November
Bread 24-30 November

Just a reminder (as I didn't know last month) - we tend not to discuss spoilers and appreciate many are still reading

For those of you that have started the book, what are your first impressions?

Mandy wrote: "For those of you that have started the book, what are your first impressions?"

I’ve made it to the middle of the first section, Butter and I’m really enjoying it. I like the prose - her writing style, the different personalities of the mother and twin sisters, Kehinde and Taiye, and finally the food. The jollof rice and all the other mentions of food and recipes are making me hungry. I love it that it’s all appears so authentically Nigerian.

I hope someone from Nigeria joins in the conversation here and can give their opinion on the book. That’s always good.

i loved the first introductions to each of these main characters so much -- such deep backstory and character development. i also love the author's voice and style of writing. as i left each chapter to jump into the next narrator's perspective, i missed the last one and couldnt wait to check back in, always wanting more before becoming again completely engrossed in the chapter at hand. really was such an enjoyable read for me, and it started right there at the very beginning.

sammy starjelly wrote: "i loved the first introductions to each of these main characters so much -- such deep backstory and character development. i also love the author's voice and style of writing. as i left each chapte..."

Agreed 👍🏼

I could tell right away that I’d enjoy this book because the writing is so good. I was a little confused in the beginning with the mystical story of Kambirinachi, but I decided that was the authors way of incorporating some past life awareness? The other characters didn’t have this so I was curious where that storyline/theme would go. As others have mentioned I enjoyed the food preparation descriptions, it definitely helps to understand the culture more.

FYI, for those who read ebooks and/or audio, the book is available on Libby.

@karen
oh wow! to me, kambirinachi's backstory of being an ọgbanje is imperative knowledge for the rest of the narrative when i think about what she's had to go through just to survive her own childhood and parent two children

sammy starjelly wrote: "@karen
oh wow! to me, kambirinachi's backstory of being an ọgbanje is imperative knowledge for the rest of the narrative when i think about what she's had to go through just to survive her own chil..."

That's very interesting Sammy. Were you familiar with the concept of ọgbanje before reading the story? I hadn't encountered it before and did some research on the topic but think the author does a good job in pulling in the uninitiated reader.

I also searched for the names Taiye and Kehinde (mostly to learn how to pronounce Taiye) and was very interested to learn that they are names that are important to Yoruba culture - with Taiye being the first twin to see the world and Kehinde being the twin to emerge second.

I agree with other commenters on the delicious descriptions of food. More on that in part 2. I lived in Kano, Nigeria for a year when I was 4 and recall so many aromas and tastes. This book has inspired me to seek out a local Nigerian restaurant so I can enjoy some of the delicacies.

@mandy
a bit of familiarity yes. mostly by word of mouth from friends and from reading Akwaeke Emezi

@Sammy I've only read Pet by Akwaeke Emezi but hope to read more of their work

@mandy
i love love talking about emezi's works. plz hit me up anytime if you wanna chat!

It will be interesting to see how open Taiye is about her sexuality with Nigeria’s LGBTQ laws. The Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act criminalizes public displays of affection between same-sex couples and restricts the work of organizations defending gay people and their rights.

We reach the end of part 1 today, Butter. What were your thoughts on Butter?

Without spoiling too much, there is a reveal at the end of this part that was foreshadowed throughout the section. What did you think about that?

I found it quite upsetting and shocking, partially driven by my own experiences of such. I cannot blame either twin for their reaction.

oof yea. the mistrust between kehinde and taiye starts to make a lot more sense knowing their shared (though separate and different) experiences of this trauma. felt sick finishing butter -- short yet visceral scene.

ColumbusReads wrote: "It will be interesting to see how open Taiye is about her sexuality with Nigeria’s LGBTQ laws. The Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act criminalizes public displays of affection between same-sex coupl..."

Agree CR. I think this will become a more central theme as the book progresses. In addition to legal aspects, there are religious and cultural aspects at play too

I’m currently reading the second section, Honey.I’m enjoying the writing and the story. However, i’m a little confused with the constant moving back and forth between continents; Africa, Europe (London & France) and North America. And this erratic timeline. It’s taking away from the story for me.

I'm afraid I will be quite late entering the conversation of Butter due to personal reasons. Hope to join in December. Until then, I will not be reading any comments, so things aren't spoiled for me.

We reach the end of part 2, Honey, today. What are people's thoughts? Who are your favourite characters?

I agree that it can be difficult at times to keep track of all the different places, people and stories. I'm thankful I'm reading on Kindle but also slowed down my reading to keep with the group. I'm hoping discussing some of the themes would help refresh everything we're reading.

I'm kind of sad. This is the first book I've had the time to read from this group and sexual assault is the only reason I will always stop reading fiction. So this one goes on my DNF list. I enjoyed what I had read up to that point, though.

Thanks for your response, Lamar.

So this begs the question. Should trigger warnings be used when certain acts or subjects appear in books? Are they effective? Is it necessary, thoughtful? I have to admit, in all the discussions I have ever led on GR and my physical book groups, I have never used a trigger warning. Just being honest. What’s your thoughts?

I was actually thinking about this. Let me say first of all, it's not a trigger for me; it's simply a boundary I have set for myself. I can't speak to anyone who might be triggered by sexual assault. That's not my experience and I have no desire to speak for anyone else. The one thing I will say is that I wish the book description had warned me that the book presents this one thing that I choose to not consume.
I can completely understand someone not wanting the spoiler; because the book presents the sexual as something that definitely can be spoilered: foreshadowing it but only ever calling it the bad thing definitely counts as a "don't give spoilers for the thing whose name dare not be uttered".
At least I didn't have to read 3/4 of the book to find out that the bad thing was sexual assault like with Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage.

Today we reach the end of part 3, Pig. How is everybody finding the book?

I have to admit that after powering through parts 1 and 2, I've really slowed down with Pig.

Two themes are emerging for me in this book. The first is cooking as a love langauage and how Taiye uses food to connect with people in the world and show that she cares.

The second is found family. While Akuchi actually is Kambirinachi's aunt, she fits the term found family because she provides love and care when Kambirinachi's own mother fails. This quote in Honey stayed with me through Pig: "Akuchi was kind on purpose"

We reach the end of part 4, Bread, today and conclude our official discussion of Butter Honey Pig Bread. Of course, the discussion will be open as people continue to read and finish the book in future.

For those who have finished, what did you think of part 4? Did you feel that Ekwuyasi wrapped up the various threads in the book? The questions was raised early in the discussion about the treatment and restrictions on LGBTQIA in Nigeria. Do you feel that the author adequately addressed this in the book?

I sort of took my time in the second half of the book and got used to the crisscrossing, globetrotting and non-linear nature of the story. I enjoyed the themes of forgiveness, family and food that was presented. I love books that include both food AND books or any book-related items in it. Lots of food references here which I liked also. I’m very anxious to see what this author does next. Very talented.

Thanks so much Mandy for leading the discussion.

You're most welcome. Thank you for having me

love how the story wrapped. i'll be reading this one again someday.

re the topics of queerness:
i love how the trauma and politics were not at all the focus and didnt need much discussion. as nonwhite queer people, we always know the waters we're swimming in. though the presence was pervasive, it was not central. even when trauma spiked with timmy's despair and ensuing suicide attempt, it was but a moment in the story of their love and friendship.

overarchingly, the queer storylines were ones of finding community and sharing pleasure through food and smokes, occasional sex and a whole lotta laughter.