Review: Womanhood, in all its glory and shade

A spectacular novel of grandmothers, mothers, and daughters – and the legacies they bequeath.

A woman sees a man when he comes to her village and she has to have him – so she does. Her father belatedly protects her virtue (or colludes with her) by forcing the man to marry her. Unfortunately, the man is already married and his wife puts a blood curse on the woman – and all her future female descendants.

Generations later, does the curse still hold? The characters in Oyinkan Braithwaite’s Cursed Daughters are vividly drawn, bold women. They are sometimes stubborn and wrongheaded (is that the curse again, or just how they are?), but relatable in their longing for love. These women are confused, unwise, bereaved, and passionate. Mostly, they’re just doing their best. If they sometimes turn to the spiritual world in desperation (most of the novel’s dark humour comes through the seemingly unhinged mamalawo), it’s because events in their lives are sufficiently spooky. Where else can a mere human turn?

If this all sounds like some light fun, there’s more to it. There’s a dark thread running through the novel, as one character takes her own life. Braithwaite plumbs the depths of this character’s thoughts during her depressive episodes in a way that feels very real. Reading these passages requires care: please be warned if you struggle with your own mental health.

Braithwaite’s debut novel, My Sister, the Serial Killer, was impressive. The writing was eloquent and her work original, but in the end I found the story just … good enough. Cursed Daughters, however, is glorious – a contender for my African novel of the year.