Reviews for Cursed daughters : a novel
Publishers Weekly
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In this scintillating saga from Braithwaite (My Sister, the Serial Killer), generations of women in a Lagos family contend with a curse that prevents them from securing husbands. The nonlinear narrative begins in 2000 when 25-year-old Monife Falodun drowns herself after losing the love of her life, Kalu. Braithwaite then rewinds to unspool Monife and Kalu’s passionate and ill-fated love story, eventually revealing how they were separated. Along the way, she interweaves Monife’s story with that of Monife’s niece Eniiyi, born on the day of Monife’s funeral. Eniiyi looks so much like Monife that their family believes Eniiyi is Monife reincarnated. Indeed, the girl shares certain characteristics with her aunt, such as a desire for love and the hope to break their family’s curse, which was placed on their ancestor Feranmi by the first wife of Feranmi’s husband, who said, “No man will call your house, home.” Eniiyi has recurring dreams of Monife by the sea where she drowned, but Monife never speaks in the dreams until after Eniiyi, now a recent college graduate, rescues a handsome boy named Zubby from drowning. Afterward, Monife turns to Eniiyi in a dream and mysteriously says, “Not again.” As Eniiyi falls for Zubby, she discovers a connection between him and Monife’s past. Braithwaite’s use of magical realism is effortless and vivid, as when the dream version of Monife speaks to Eniiyi in Eniiyi’s own voice. She also sustains the strange mystery of whether Eniiyi is in fact Monife, all while exploring the family’s painful cycle of abandonment. This is riveting. Agent: Clare Alexander, Aitken Alexander Assoc. (Nov.)
Library Journal
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Braithwaite (My Sister, the Serial Killer) returns with a story drenched in supernatural unease and yet bursting with love; a tale that embraces the power of superstition, even as it fights to rid itself from it. The women of the Falodun family live in Lagos, Nigeria, under one roof, united by a curse that has brought anxiety and sadness for generations. As the book opens, a 25-year-old Monife drowns herself, while on the same day, her younger cousin Ebun gives birth to a daughter; the baby, named Eniiyi, looks so much like Monife that her family believes she is the dead woman's reincarnation. The thought-provoking tale is told variously from the perspectives of Monife, Ebun, and Eniiyi. Character-centered, compelling, and at times, terrifying, this book will leave its mark, even on those who think they don't believe in curses. VERDICT Braithwaite's stellar novel employs horror elements to tell the story of a family, not only to invoke fear but also to unequivocally demand a break from the terrifying cycle of generational trauma. For fans of The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, Little Eve by Catriona Ward, and The Silent Companion by Laura Purcell.
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
A family of Nigerian women finds their romantic lives plagued by a long-ago curse in the new novel by the author ofMy Sister, the Serial Killer (2018). As Braithwaite’s story opens, a 25-year-old woman named Monife is about to drown herself in the ocean due to a disappointment in love: “The tragedy had already happened and this was simply the inevitable consequence.” On the day of her funeral, her cousin Ebun gives birth to a daughter who looks exactly like her late aunty. Little Eniiyi will grow to resemble Monife more and more closely, and eventually her life will become deeply entangled with and reflective of Monife’s. No woman in the family has ever had a successful relationship with a man, and family lore traces this back to a forebear who stole another woman’s husband and was cursed by her as follows: “No man will call your house, home. And if they try, they will not have peace. Your daughters are cursed—they will pursue men, but the men will be like water in their palms. Your granddaughters will love in vain. Your great granddaughters will labour for acknowledgement, but they will fall short of other women. Your daughters, your daughters daughters and all the women to come will suffer for man’s sake.” This whole novel revolves around the questions of whether Eniiyi is in fact the reincarnation of Monife, and whether there really is such a thing as a curse. The problem is that you will come away unsure. Eniiyi herself thinks it’s hooey and plans to go into genetic counseling to deal with the matter of inheritance in a more rational way, but when push comes to shove, she too consults the juju lady. The chapters jump back and forth through time, ranging from 1994 to 2025, and among the perspectives of Monife, Ebun, and Eniiyi, and thankfully by the end the women seem to be getting a little more control of their destinies (even the dead one!). Is this a tragedy or a comedy? Though it ends up uneasily in the middle, it’s well-written and juicy. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
