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Butterfly Fish
BETTY TRASK AWARD WINNER 2016
A fragile outsider living in London, Joy struggles to pull the threads of her life back together after her mother’s sudden death. Emptiness consumes her and, needing to fill the gaps of her loss, she finds she is drawn to a unique artefact inherited from her mother – a warrior’s head cast in brass that belonged to a king in eighteenth century Benin, Nigeria.
Joy is haunted by a beautiful young woman who appears in her photographs, familiar yet beguilingly distinct, the woman trails her wherever she goes. Joy begins to dream of a different time, a different place. She feels an inexplicable pull towards this mysterious female, and a past revealing itself through clues is scattered in her path. As family secrets come to light, she unearths the ties between her mother, grandfather, the wife of the king, a fearsome warrior, and the brass head’s pivotal connection to them all.
Haunting and compelling, Butterfly Fish is a richly told story of love and hope; of family secrets, power, political upheaval, loss and coming undone.
‘a novel of epic proportions... I fully expect to see Butterfly Fish on many an award nomination list.’ Yvvette Edwards
’A stunningly well-written book, juggling different timescales with great skill. Benin itself is vividly imagined in a historical narrative that runs in parallel with the contemporary London one. It is a wonderful novel.” Simon Brett OBE
‘A wonderful, richly drawn novel, cleverly juxtaposing scenes from everyday London with African folklore and mysticism.’ Joanne Harris
A fragile outsider living in London, Joy struggles to pull the threads of her life back together after her mother’s sudden death. Emptiness consumes her and, needing to fill the gaps of her loss, she finds she is drawn to a unique artefact inherited from her mother – a warrior’s head cast in brass that belonged to a king in eighteenth century Benin, Nigeria.
Joy is haunted by a beautiful young woman who appears in her photographs, familiar yet beguilingly distinct, the woman trails her wherever she goes. Joy begins to dream of a different time, a different place. She feels an inexplicable pull towards this mysterious female, and a past revealing itself through clues is scattered in her path. As family secrets come to light, she unearths the ties between her mother, grandfather, the wife of the king, a fearsome warrior, and the brass head’s pivotal connection to them all.
Haunting and compelling, Butterfly Fish is a richly told story of love and hope; of family secrets, power, political upheaval, loss and coming undone.
‘a novel of epic proportions... I fully expect to see Butterfly Fish on many an award nomination list.’ Yvvette Edwards
’A stunningly well-written book, juggling different timescales with great skill. Benin itself is vividly imagined in a historical narrative that runs in parallel with the contemporary London one. It is a wonderful novel.” Simon Brett OBE
‘A wonderful, richly drawn novel, cleverly juxtaposing scenes from everyday London with African folklore and mysticism.’ Joanne Harris
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
22 people are currently reading
1083 people want to read
About the author
Irenosen Okojie
28 books123 followersIrenosen Okojie was born in Nigeria and moved to England aged eight. A freelance Arts Project Manager, she has previously worked at Apples & Snakes as the National Development Coordinator and for The Caine Prize as a Publicity Officer for their 10th Anniversary Tour. Her short stories have been published in the US, Africa and the UK. Her first novel, Butterfly Fish, was published by Jacaranda Books in July 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 13, 2023
I really enjoyed this novel, a family saga set mostly in contemporary London with sections in 19th century Benin(this is the old kingdom which is now located within Nigeria not the modern country of Benin), and 1970s and 80s London. The main character is Joy, a young woman whose mother has just died, and she’s never known her father. It’s full of vivid imagery, a magical realist ride through dreams and nightmares, very surreal. This doesn’t always work for me, but it did here. I was just pulled through the story, let the imagery wash over me so much so that the revelation of who Joy’s father is near the end, came as quite a shock.
December 26, 2016
I was fascinated by the reviews and couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. The beginning got me even more interested and I soon settled in. However, while I found the story set in Nigeria and in Britain interesting as stand-alones, I felt weaving them together wasn't smooth. I felt it was contrived and this removed some authenticity from it. Joy, Queenie, Adesua, Omotola, Mrs Harris ... I feel all these are strong and interesting characters but none really fully developed. Having said that, I enjoyed reading the book and it left me wondering and asking questions.
August 6, 2017
Good Reads Says:
With wry humour and a deft touch, Butterfly Fish, the outstanding first novel by a stunning new writer, is a work of elegant and captivating storytelling. A dual narrative set in contemporary London and 18th century Benin in Africa, the book traverses the realms of magic realism with luminous style and graceful, effortless prose.
A couple of months back I read Irenosen Okojie’s short story collection Speak Gigantular and it blew me away. I was obsessed with all her characters and have wanted to read her debut novel Butterfly Fish ever since then.
I have wanted to write this ‘review’ for a while but have felt stuck because I just didn’t know where to start. It made me feel a lot of things and I had to put it down at points to take a breather (I should probably mention at this point that the book contains triggers for suicide, rape, incest and living with mental illness., basically a lot to process). After much introspection, I thought the easiest way to do it was to just tell people why I loved it so damn much! And obviously why I think you should read it:
The writing!
Irenosen’s writing style is one of the most diverse I have read. While Irenosen’s lens in Speak Gigantular was razor sharp, Butterfly Fish has a richer prose. The author really takes her time to build her characters and gets you to invest in them. I really enjoyed Butterfly Fish and found it to be an immersive reading experience, I haven’t been fully consumed by a book and its characters in the way I did with Butterfly Fish in a while. So if you are looking for an immersive read to help you survive your commute to work this is the book for you.
History and Magic Realism
Magic Realism is one of my favourite themes in literature and I am drawn to writing gives the supernatural and otherworldly the benefit of the doubt. In Butterfly Fish magic realism has a real purport; Firstly, through the ominous family inheritance of the Bronze Head, Irenosen weaves the thread magic realism to connect for the read 18th century Benin and today’s contemporary London. The Bronze Head has a history and haunts our modern day protagonist Joy, it forces her to look back into her past. It leads her to devastating ancestral secrets, which reveal that family inheritances are rarely only material.
I also liked that we time hopped back to the ancient and prosperous kingdom of Benin (modern day Southern Nigeria). This storyline gives us a glimpse into the kingdom’s riches and successes before it succumbed to Europeans pillage and rape. Such images and narratives help counteract the ‘Third World’ narrative that is often attached to the African continent and its countries. I like that a little bit of history was set right through this.
Real Women
Obviously I am going to talk about the female protagonists of this novel. One of the main reasons I read is so I can ‘meet’ strong female characters that I don’t see in other forms of media.
What really stands out for me in Irenosen’s writings is that the women she conjures are real. They live, breathe and hurt like the rest of us. They are not moulded along the infallible ‘independent women’ trope, where you are either perfect or not worthy of the title. This is true for all three of the main female characters in the story; Joy, our protagonist living in London, Queenie, Joy’s recently deceased mother and Adesua, free spirited wife of the Oba of the Benin kingdom. There is also Mrs. Harris, Joy’s eccentric neighbour and another mystery for Joy to solve.
The women in Butterfly Fish have their shit, deal with it and are still themselves, their identity is not tied to what they accomplish. I liked that they are just allowed to be. I felt this particularly with Joy, who is dealing with the grief of her mother’s death and lives with depression. Yet we don’t see her as broken or somehow incomplete as some narratives around depression tend to be. Instead she is a gentle reminder that people are complex beings, who can face adversity and still be their fierce self. A reminder I was in desperate need of!
Whatthelog also has written a lovely review about this books which focuses more around the issue mental health and how it is depicted: https://whatthelog.wordpress.com/2017...
This book was published by the indie publisher Jacaranda. You can buy this book and read more about the author on here
With wry humour and a deft touch, Butterfly Fish, the outstanding first novel by a stunning new writer, is a work of elegant and captivating storytelling. A dual narrative set in contemporary London and 18th century Benin in Africa, the book traverses the realms of magic realism with luminous style and graceful, effortless prose.
A couple of months back I read Irenosen Okojie’s short story collection Speak Gigantular and it blew me away. I was obsessed with all her characters and have wanted to read her debut novel Butterfly Fish ever since then.
I have wanted to write this ‘review’ for a while but have felt stuck because I just didn’t know where to start. It made me feel a lot of things and I had to put it down at points to take a breather (I should probably mention at this point that the book contains triggers for suicide, rape, incest and living with mental illness., basically a lot to process). After much introspection, I thought the easiest way to do it was to just tell people why I loved it so damn much! And obviously why I think you should read it:
The writing!
Irenosen’s writing style is one of the most diverse I have read. While Irenosen’s lens in Speak Gigantular was razor sharp, Butterfly Fish has a richer prose. The author really takes her time to build her characters and gets you to invest in them. I really enjoyed Butterfly Fish and found it to be an immersive reading experience, I haven’t been fully consumed by a book and its characters in the way I did with Butterfly Fish in a while. So if you are looking for an immersive read to help you survive your commute to work this is the book for you.
History and Magic Realism
Magic Realism is one of my favourite themes in literature and I am drawn to writing gives the supernatural and otherworldly the benefit of the doubt. In Butterfly Fish magic realism has a real purport; Firstly, through the ominous family inheritance of the Bronze Head, Irenosen weaves the thread magic realism to connect for the read 18th century Benin and today’s contemporary London. The Bronze Head has a history and haunts our modern day protagonist Joy, it forces her to look back into her past. It leads her to devastating ancestral secrets, which reveal that family inheritances are rarely only material.
I also liked that we time hopped back to the ancient and prosperous kingdom of Benin (modern day Southern Nigeria). This storyline gives us a glimpse into the kingdom’s riches and successes before it succumbed to Europeans pillage and rape. Such images and narratives help counteract the ‘Third World’ narrative that is often attached to the African continent and its countries. I like that a little bit of history was set right through this.
Real Women
Obviously I am going to talk about the female protagonists of this novel. One of the main reasons I read is so I can ‘meet’ strong female characters that I don’t see in other forms of media.
What really stands out for me in Irenosen’s writings is that the women she conjures are real. They live, breathe and hurt like the rest of us. They are not moulded along the infallible ‘independent women’ trope, where you are either perfect or not worthy of the title. This is true for all three of the main female characters in the story; Joy, our protagonist living in London, Queenie, Joy’s recently deceased mother and Adesua, free spirited wife of the Oba of the Benin kingdom. There is also Mrs. Harris, Joy’s eccentric neighbour and another mystery for Joy to solve.
The women in Butterfly Fish have their shit, deal with it and are still themselves, their identity is not tied to what they accomplish. I liked that they are just allowed to be. I felt this particularly with Joy, who is dealing with the grief of her mother’s death and lives with depression. Yet we don’t see her as broken or somehow incomplete as some narratives around depression tend to be. Instead she is a gentle reminder that people are complex beings, who can face adversity and still be their fierce self. A reminder I was in desperate need of!
Whatthelog also has written a lovely review about this books which focuses more around the issue mental health and how it is depicted: https://whatthelog.wordpress.com/2017...
This book was published by the indie publisher Jacaranda. You can buy this book and read more about the author on here
September 20, 2020
Irenosen writes in such a beautiful way that you regularly come across really great sentences that you just keep repeating to yourself.
However, as much as I don't want to say this - it was a book I found hard to get into. After reaching more than half way, I realised I was more forcing myself to read it and couldn't quite get into it. There were some really interesting parts (those focused on Benin), however those seemed to be drowned out by the narrative of the main character which I just found hard to connect with and who's story also seemed a little rushed.
However, as much as I don't want to say this - it was a book I found hard to get into. After reaching more than half way, I realised I was more forcing myself to read it and couldn't quite get into it. There were some really interesting parts (those focused on Benin), however those seemed to be drowned out by the narrative of the main character which I just found hard to connect with and who's story also seemed a little rushed.
February 14, 2022
Really interesting book, especially with its exploration of generational trauma, though by the end the book seems to lose a lot of its focus, especially as it becomes a singular narrative in the last 100 or so pages
March 31, 2018
A strange (intimate, open-ended yet emotionally satisfying) story told in luscious and intriguing prose. The style is free-wheeling yet controlled, overall, although there are some garden path-esque sentences. It creates an effect where meaning is constantly squirming away from you, and you reach for it willingly, because the meaning when parsed turns out to be consistently nuanced. A joy to read.
I liked that there was a distinctive style difference when the chapters alternated time and place. The parts in historical Benin, in particular, have a storytelling feel; they seem to be begging to be read aloud. Weaving/braiding together the narratives of the characters from three generations of the same family works very well with the magical realism genre, because the storytelling feel bleeds through into the recognisably contemporary world of Joy - already inflected by her mental illness.
Also very much appreciated Okojie's fantastically developed female characters. My favourites were Adesua and Mrs Harris.
I will say that I do not usually appreciate stories that contain sensitive content, but in this case I found it was often necessary to create the texture of the novel: a feeling of ragged survival, sort of. If you're thinking of reading this novel but are in need of trigger warnings first, I've compiled major ones here: I list these plot elements not to sensationalise the novel (because they are portrayed for a reason!) but for your safety.
A last note. Not something Okojie can help, but I do wish her publisher had put a little more effort into getting a good proofer in. There were a lot of punctuation mistakes, especially commas and quotation marks, and typos too; many more of each than usually appear even in contemporary first editions. (I am eagle-eyed and cannot help but notice these things.) It hindered my enjoyment somewhat. Maybe these errors will be fixed in subsequent editions?
I liked that there was a distinctive style difference when the chapters alternated time and place. The parts in historical Benin, in particular, have a storytelling feel; they seem to be begging to be read aloud. Weaving/braiding together the narratives of the characters from three generations of the same family works very well with the magical realism genre, because the storytelling feel bleeds through into the recognisably contemporary world of Joy - already inflected by her mental illness.
Also very much appreciated Okojie's fantastically developed female characters. My favourites were Adesua and Mrs Harris.
I will say that I do not usually appreciate stories that contain sensitive content, but in this case I found it was often necessary to create the texture of the novel: a feeling of ragged survival, sort of. If you're thinking of reading this novel but are in need of trigger warnings first, I've compiled major ones here: I list these plot elements not to sensationalise the novel (because they are portrayed for a reason!) but for your safety.
A last note. Not something Okojie can help, but I do wish her publisher had put a little more effort into getting a good proofer in. There were a lot of punctuation mistakes, especially commas and quotation marks, and typos too; many more of each than usually appear even in contemporary first editions. (I am eagle-eyed and cannot help but notice these things.) It hindered my enjoyment somewhat. Maybe these errors will be fixed in subsequent editions?
December 30, 2020
This book squarely takes the blame for me not reaching my reading target for 2020*! It was so turgid it took me weeks to get through it, gritting my teeth. The story is confusing, and the links between the different threads unclear until very close to the end. The final section of the book undergoes a complete change of tone, getting quite disturbing, and the magical realism turns to utter incoherence. Phrases which are, presumably, supposed to sound mystical, are just incomprehensible and meaningless.
The worst thing in the Kindle version I read is the terrible editing. I just can't understand how this text made it to publication with so many errors that would (or at least should) be a fail at GCSE English. And no, I'm not talking about variations in usage between anglophone cultures; I'm talking about the difference between its/it's, the correct usage of punctuation to close direct speech, random commas between adjective and verb, incorrect use of vocabulary and the habit of losing track of the subject of a verb or the tense of a sentence. I've made a lot of the errors visible in my notes, as they made me go into full-on editing mode. I know each one is minor, but there were so many of them that they were really distracting. I'd be interested to know whether they appear in the print editions.
Finally, I know, because it's hammered home all the way through the text, that the colour blue is Incredibly Important. But I have no idea why. Can anyone enlighten me?
*My own pig-headedness at not abandoning books is neither here nor there.
The worst thing in the Kindle version I read is the terrible editing. I just can't understand how this text made it to publication with so many errors that would (or at least should) be a fail at GCSE English. And no, I'm not talking about variations in usage between anglophone cultures; I'm talking about the difference between its/it's, the correct usage of punctuation to close direct speech, random commas between adjective and verb, incorrect use of vocabulary and the habit of losing track of the subject of a verb or the tense of a sentence. I've made a lot of the errors visible in my notes, as they made me go into full-on editing mode. I know each one is minor, but there were so many of them that they were really distracting. I'd be interested to know whether they appear in the print editions.
Finally, I know, because it's hammered home all the way through the text, that the colour blue is Incredibly Important. But I have no idea why. Can anyone enlighten me?
*My own pig-headedness at not abandoning books is neither here nor there.
January 2, 2017
One of the worst books I've ever read! The writing was all over the place and I didn't much like the way the storyline kept jumping between time and place and characters. It read like it was trying to do what Helen Oyeyemi did in The Icarus Girl but I wasn't just feeling it. Struggled to read and only finished out of sheer curiosity of just how bad it could get and how it was going to end.
August 14, 2015
The writing is simply beautiful.
November 30, 2023
Lesson learnt: there are two Benins in the world. One is the country Benin and is francophone (so I should have known a book written in English would not likely be set there). The other is the former kingdom and current region Benin in Nigeria. Part of this book is set in the latter Benin.
The idea of having four or five different timelines is interesting, but is clumsily executed here. Each timeline seems to be written in a different style and all of them are tough reading, to a point where supposed poetic sentences become illegible.
At least three timelines come together somewhat abruptly towards the end of the book, but the resolution doesn't feel satisfying.
Now I need to find another book that is actually set in the country Benin.
The idea of having four or five different timelines is interesting, but is clumsily executed here. Each timeline seems to be written in a different style and all of them are tough reading, to a point where supposed poetic sentences become illegible.
At least three timelines come together somewhat abruptly towards the end of the book, but the resolution doesn't feel satisfying.
Now I need to find another book that is actually set in the country Benin.
September 3, 2024
Wow! A wonderful novel with beautiful prose and a touch of magic realism. As the back blurb explains, this is successfully combined with "elements of traditional Nigerian story-telling".
To be fair, it was really more of a 4.5 star book for me as I did find the first part needed all the concentration I could muster to follow the point of view swaps between chapters, not always that clear. But overall, absolutely brilliant.
To be fair, it was really more of a 4.5 star book for me as I did find the first part needed all the concentration I could muster to follow the point of view swaps between chapters, not always that clear. But overall, absolutely brilliant.
February 16, 2024
This novel manages to be simultaneously beautiful, heartbreaking, hopeful, hopeless… a true masterpiece. The different characters and timelines weave together insidiously to create a devastating story of life, loss, identity and generational trauma. A stunning example of contemporary magical realism. This book had me crying, laughing and gasping! 10/10.
Read
December 4, 2019I especially enjoyed the chapters of this book about the wives of the Oba. But the magical realism sprinkled throughout this novel is really fun, a great treat for the imagination.
March 15, 2020
So weird, sad and good
May 30, 2021
Really astounding writing
February 2, 2017
I first discovered this book having heard the author speak at a book festival and was moved by her discussion. I was not disappointed when I picked up Butterfly Fish. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. It covers such an expanse of topics with such ease and grace of plot, I couldn't put it down.
October 10, 2016
An amazing book for a debut author
This book is quite amazingly written and crafted. Joy is a photographer living in London struggling to recover from the sudden death of her mother. Her only friend is one of the tenants in her building, Mrs Harris, and it is this lady who finds Joy after an unsuccessful suicide attempt and helps her to talk through her problems. The identity of Mrs Harris is also shrouded in mystery, we find out towards the end of the book who and what she is but she becomes a sounding board for Joy.
Things begin to improve for Joy when her mother’s will is read. Not only does Joy inherit a large sum of money but also her grandfather’s diary and a unique brass warrior’s head from the ancient kingdom of Benin.
The book switches seamlessly between Joy’s life in London and her search for her history through the pages of her grandfather’s diary to the actual story of her ancestors set in 18th century Benin. The author is able to write narrative set in the current time and then, when she describes events in Benin you feel as if you are almost in the city itself. Gradually the two stories link up and the tragic story of Joy’s parentage and ancestry come to light.
The story itself is a beautiful read but the most striking thing about this book for me was the beautiful writing throughout the book. There are so many examples but it is just so evocative.
“It was that time of day when Benin was caught between late afternoon and early evening. When the daylight dimmed to a duskier yellowy orange, and you could swear that someone was shrouding the sun. The smell of cocoa yams doused in flavours of wild peppers, onion and meat stock wandered from the main palace like a drifter requesting entry at the nostrils of irritable inhabitants”
You can almost smell what the author is describing and the whole book is full of wonderful descriptions such as these. I have given this book 4 stars only because I feel towards the end the language took over a little from the narrative but I will certainly look out for the next book from this author.
Dexter
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
This book is quite amazingly written and crafted. Joy is a photographer living in London struggling to recover from the sudden death of her mother. Her only friend is one of the tenants in her building, Mrs Harris, and it is this lady who finds Joy after an unsuccessful suicide attempt and helps her to talk through her problems. The identity of Mrs Harris is also shrouded in mystery, we find out towards the end of the book who and what she is but she becomes a sounding board for Joy.
Things begin to improve for Joy when her mother’s will is read. Not only does Joy inherit a large sum of money but also her grandfather’s diary and a unique brass warrior’s head from the ancient kingdom of Benin.
The book switches seamlessly between Joy’s life in London and her search for her history through the pages of her grandfather’s diary to the actual story of her ancestors set in 18th century Benin. The author is able to write narrative set in the current time and then, when she describes events in Benin you feel as if you are almost in the city itself. Gradually the two stories link up and the tragic story of Joy’s parentage and ancestry come to light.
The story itself is a beautiful read but the most striking thing about this book for me was the beautiful writing throughout the book. There are so many examples but it is just so evocative.
“It was that time of day when Benin was caught between late afternoon and early evening. When the daylight dimmed to a duskier yellowy orange, and you could swear that someone was shrouding the sun. The smell of cocoa yams doused in flavours of wild peppers, onion and meat stock wandered from the main palace like a drifter requesting entry at the nostrils of irritable inhabitants”
You can almost smell what the author is describing and the whole book is full of wonderful descriptions such as these. I have given this book 4 stars only because I feel towards the end the language took over a little from the narrative but I will certainly look out for the next book from this author.
Dexter
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
July 18, 2016
An enjoyable and interesting read. I loved the parts set in 18th Century palace of Benin and how the story of the brass head was woven round the characters. Joy's thoughts were influenced very much by her attempts to block out memories by using drugs and alcohol which made some of the descriptions seem somewhat far fetched, however her mind was very much influenced by the piecing together of her origins and became a little confusing as her mental health worsened.
A strange yet interesting tale!
A strange yet interesting tale!
May 15, 2020
DNF’d after 30 % I usually enjoy multiple time lines but this was confusing. Also didn't like the writing style
April 15, 2017
Irenosen Okojie’s Butterfly Fish is one of the novels I read for February’s Black History Month. I read her short story collection Speak Gigantular a couple of months ago, so this gave me an excellent excuse to push Butterfly Fish to the front of the TBR. And I am so glad that I did.
The blurb doesn’t tell you very much so here is my attempt at a summary! It follows 3 generations of a family: Joy, a young black woman living in London, Queenie (her mother), and Peter (her grandfather). It starts right after Queenie has unexpectedly died, and left Joy her grandfather’s journal, and a strange bronze head. We also are given the history of the bronze head, which was made in 18th century Benin in the palace of Oba Odion. Throughout these interlinked narratives, we discover secrets about Queenie, Joy, and Benin.
I’ll be honest, I was a bit worried when I first started reading the novel. Okojie’s magical realism style worked so well in her short story collection that I wondered how she could possibly use it as successfully in a novel. I shouldn’t have worried. The novel begins quite gently in terms of the magical realism, but as it continues, reality begins to blur. Blood rains from roofs, a woman named Anon appears everywhere our protagonist goes, and fish give her magical keys. I’m not the hugest lover of magical realism, but here it was done so beautifully that I couldn’t help be swept away. It also helps that Okojie’s prose is effortlessly beautiful.
There are trigger warnings for Butterfly Fish, for a suicide attempt, rape, and incest. There is also quite a lot about mental health, and grief. If anyone else has read this, I’d like to know your thoughts about the depiction of Joy’s mental illness. It is unclear whether she is having hallucinations, or whether the magical realism is just an overlooked aspect of reality. I don’t really know what to think of mental illness being (potentially) used like this – that’s definitely something I’m going to be thinking about a lot more. As someone with mental illnesses myself, I didn’t find it personally offensive, though I could see how it could be interpreted as using mental illness as a plot device/stylistic decision, which eh. Not cool.
ETA: I had a chat with Irenosen Okojie after linking her to this review, and this is what she had to say about the representation of mental illness in Butterfly Fish:
Mental illness is something that’s deeply personal to me. I’ve also had family members struggle with it. As a black woman who knows how difficult a subject it is in our communities to discuss, it was very important for me to portray a character like Joy so we can take the stigma away from it. In no way was her mental illness a plot device. That aspect is real for me and something that has impacted my life deeply.
So that’s really good to hear.
I honestly can’t believe that this is Okojie’s debut novel. Butterfly Fish is gorgeous and haunting, and has convinced me that Okojie is a must-buy author for me. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
The blurb doesn’t tell you very much so here is my attempt at a summary! It follows 3 generations of a family: Joy, a young black woman living in London, Queenie (her mother), and Peter (her grandfather). It starts right after Queenie has unexpectedly died, and left Joy her grandfather’s journal, and a strange bronze head. We also are given the history of the bronze head, which was made in 18th century Benin in the palace of Oba Odion. Throughout these interlinked narratives, we discover secrets about Queenie, Joy, and Benin.
I’ll be honest, I was a bit worried when I first started reading the novel. Okojie’s magical realism style worked so well in her short story collection that I wondered how she could possibly use it as successfully in a novel. I shouldn’t have worried. The novel begins quite gently in terms of the magical realism, but as it continues, reality begins to blur. Blood rains from roofs, a woman named Anon appears everywhere our protagonist goes, and fish give her magical keys. I’m not the hugest lover of magical realism, but here it was done so beautifully that I couldn’t help be swept away. It also helps that Okojie’s prose is effortlessly beautiful.
There are trigger warnings for Butterfly Fish, for a suicide attempt, rape, and incest. There is also quite a lot about mental health, and grief. If anyone else has read this, I’d like to know your thoughts about the depiction of Joy’s mental illness. It is unclear whether she is having hallucinations, or whether the magical realism is just an overlooked aspect of reality. I don’t really know what to think of mental illness being (potentially) used like this – that’s definitely something I’m going to be thinking about a lot more. As someone with mental illnesses myself, I didn’t find it personally offensive, though I could see how it could be interpreted as using mental illness as a plot device/stylistic decision, which eh. Not cool.
ETA: I had a chat with Irenosen Okojie after linking her to this review, and this is what she had to say about the representation of mental illness in Butterfly Fish:
Mental illness is something that’s deeply personal to me. I’ve also had family members struggle with it. As a black woman who knows how difficult a subject it is in our communities to discuss, it was very important for me to portray a character like Joy so we can take the stigma away from it. In no way was her mental illness a plot device. That aspect is real for me and something that has impacted my life deeply.
So that’s really good to hear.
I honestly can’t believe that this is Okojie’s debut novel. Butterfly Fish is gorgeous and haunting, and has convinced me that Okojie is a must-buy author for me. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews