When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

When We Were Birds

Author: Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

Genre: Fiction

Format: Physical Books (Page1 Books Subscription)

Read: June 2022

Story Synopsis: When We Were Birds tells the story of two people, Yejide and Darwin, brought together by death and love. Yejide is a strong-minded woman from a long line of women who can see death around others. They are the descendants of the Corbeaux, birds of death that bring balance to the worlds of the living and dead. Darwin is a young man following the Rastafarian faith. His financial circumstances lead him to work at a cemetery, and interaction with death and the dead is counter to the Rastafarian beliefs. Yejide and Darwin are brought together mysteriously and dramatically while learning about themselves in the process.

Likes: I enjoyed how the story moved and told both Darwin’s and Yejide’s points of view. While the story started strong, it moved slowly. However, about one-third of the way through, I was utterly hooked and finished the book the day I started it. The imager throughout the book was fantastic. I could see, smell, and hear the kitchen where Darwin sat with his mom and ate dinner. I felt the conflicting feelings Yejide had for her gift and toward her mother. Banwo’s writing is clear, concise, yet descriptive and powerful.

Comments: Banwo wrote When We Were Birds in a way that I imagine natives of Trinidad & Tobago speak. It took me a few chapters to get into the rhythm of the language, but I think it enhanced the story and made the reader feel more involved.

Rating: 5 Stars

Affiliate Links To Purchase: When We Were Birds on Bookshop.Org