Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi

January 3, 2025

“Culture is everything. Culture is the way we dress, the way we carry our heads, the way we walk, the way we tie our ties – it is not only the fact of writing books or building houses.”

— Aimé Césaire

I am so glad I gave this book a chance and got to explore a colourful narrative of Yoruba culture. “Honey Butter Pig Bread” is a story about a Nigerian mother, Kambirinachi, who navigates life and its obstacles alongside her twin daughters, Taiye and Kehinde. The family is immersed in a journey filled with themes of love, pain, trauma, food, and kinship, which bring the characters together and breathe vivid life into them.

Kambirinachi believes she was born as an ogbanje, an evil spirit destined to bring misfortune to the mother by killing her young children. Defying this fate, she chooses to remain alive to care for her human family, though she constantly fears the consequences. 

Meanwhile, Kehinde endures a shattering childhood experience that causes the family to drift apart. Following the trauma, she distances herself by moving to Montreal and cutting ties with her mother and twin sister. She struggles to heal in her solitude while carving out her own life.

On the other hand, Taiye, consumed by guilt over what happened to Kehinde, escapes to London and drowns her pain in a life of indulgence. After years of separation, the sisters finally reunite in Lagos to visit their mother. The meeting forces all three women to confront their shared history and work toward mending the wounds that have kept them apart for so long.

This story is tender and absorbing. I finished it in just a few days of relaxation, despite its hard-to-swallow topics of abuse and sexual violence. Ekwuyasi makes it easy to connect to the characters, especially as a woman. She curates their stories, each uniquely, but in a way that allows women from various walks of life to somehow relate to their emotions, thoughts, and wounds. The characters learn growth, and it’s touching to watch the twins begin to learn how to love themselves and others properly.

There also appears to be a more resounding theme of loneliness beyond just navigating their traumas. Each woman has to overcome their personal pain, battle a sense of isolation, and search for belonging. The theme of loneliness is central to their stories because it highlights how they each feel disconnected from the world around them. 

Taiye's sense of loneliness is reflected in her inability to establish healthy boundaries in her relationships. She constantly seeks love and validation but loses herself in the process and is unable to find balance. Kehinde, on the other hand, experiences a quiet kind of loneliness. Though she longs to reconnect with her sister, she feels an emotional distance that makes it impossible to bridge the gap. This theme of longing for connection yet struggling to find it runs throughout the plot to showcase how it can shape our choices and relationships.

One of the elements that adds a layer of warmth and comfort to the otherwise gripping narrative is the author's delightful inclusion of food as a central theme. In Nigerian culture, as in many others, food serves as a powerful symbol of connection, tradition, and identity. The inclusion of food is a means for the characters to bond, evoke memories, and celebrate cultural heritage. Through evocative language, the author brings to life the aromas, textures, and flavours that fill the pages. In the story, food becomes a vehicle of connection through detailed recipes, the preparation of dishes, or moments of emotional exchange over a meal. It beautifully ties the characters' experiences together and reminds us of how food can be a source of comfort, a means of healing, and a way to navigate the complexities of family and identity.

​​Butter Honey Pig Bread is a story that feels like a conversation. It is a gentle and unflinching story that looks at the ways we carry love, pain, and history. Francesca Ekwuyasi invites us into the lives of Kambirinachi, Taiye, and Kehinde with such warmth and honesty that their struggles feel like those of old friends. Through their shared meals, quiet reconciliations, and human flaws, the novel reminds us of the fragile, messy beauty of reconciliation and connection. It left me reflecting on my own relationships, the weight of unspoken words, and the quiet courage it takes to heal. It’s a book that feels like life: complicated, tender, and full of hope.