8 Canadian books to read if you loved Canada Reads contender Butter Honey Pig Bread by francesca ekwuyasi
francesca ekwuyasi is a writer, filmmaker and visual artist. Her writing has appeared in the Malahat Review, Guts and Brittle Paper, and she was longlisted for the 2019 Journey Prize. Butter Honey Pig Bread is her first book.
Butter Honey Pig Bread was championed by Roger Mooking on Canada Reads 2021.
Butter Honey Pig Bread is a novel about twin sisters, Kehinde and Taiye, and their mother, Kambirinachi. Kambirinachi believes she was a spirit who was supposed to die as a small child. By staying alive, she is cursing her family — a fear that appears to come true when Kehinde experiences something that tears the family apart, and divides the twins for years. But when the three women connect years later, they must confront their past and find forgiveness.
If you just finished Butter Honey Pig Bread and are looking for a new read, check out these Canadian books.
Soucouyant by David Chariandy
A "soucouyant" is an evil spirit, one that reminds people of their past mistakes. Soucouyant is a novel about an unnamed young man who returns home to care for his mother, who is living with dementia. He sees this trip home as an opportunity to repair their estranged relationship and to learn about his mother's life and hear her stories before she dies.
Soucouyant won the Foreword Magazine book of the year award for literary fiction and was a finalist for Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction in 2007.
Both Butter Honey Pig Bread and Soucouyant are moving stories about families repairing fractured relationships against a backdrop of mythology and culture.
Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson
Sister Mine is a fantasy novel that follows two sisters, Makeda and Abby, who are daughters of a celestial demigod and human woman, who were once inseparable but become distant as they grow up. Makeda and Abby are conjoined when they are born, and the surgery that separated them saved their lives, but left them with scars, physical and emotional, they carry with them for the rest of their lives. Now they are grown up, and Makeda decides it's finally time to move out and build a life on her own terms. But when their father goes missing, Makeda and Abby must reconcile if they want to save him.
Both Butter Honey Pig Bread and Sister Mine are about the complex relationship between sisters, once close and now estranged, who were born to someone with a connection to the supernatural or spiritual.
Bone and Bread by Saleema Nawaz
Bone and Bread is about sisters Beena and Sadhana who were orphaned as children and were raised by their traditional Sikh uncle who runs a bagel shop in Montreal. When Sadhana suddenly dies, Beena reflects on their up-and-down relationship, their estrangement and their complicated relationship with their Sikh heritage and tries to come to terms with the guilt and regret she feels.
Bone and Bread was championed by Farah Mohamed on Canada Reads 2016.
Both Butter Honey Pig Bread and Bone and Bread are novels about sisters whose lives and relationship are changed by trauma and tragedy.
Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta
Frying Plantain follows Kara Davis through elementary school to her high school graduation, as she comes of age while being perennially caught between her Canadian nationality and Jamaican heritage. Over a series of 12 connected stories, Davis visits her great aunt in Jamaica, endures a cruel prank by close friends and deals with her stubborn grandparents.
Frying Plantain was longlisted for the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
- Zalika Reid-Benta wrote a short story collection that looks at growing up young and Black in Toronto
Both Butter Honey Pig Bread and Frying Plantain are novels about young women connecting with their culture and family, where food plays a part in building trust and forgiveness.
The Heart Does Not Bend by Makeda Silvera
In The Heart Does Not Bend, Molly is left bitter when her grandmother, who raised her, left everything to her grandson when she died, leaving Molly with nothing. To come to terms with this slight and her grandmother's death, Molly reflects on her upbringing in Jamaica, where she was surrounded by delicious food and unconditional love. But as Molly got older, her grandmother's faults — and their family's complex issues — become more apparent. Molly and her grandmother's relationship suffers, reaching rock bottom when Molly begins a relationship with a woman. Exploring themes of love, loyalty and betrayal, The Heart Does Not Bend is an expansive novel featuring a strong matriarch, family drama and culture clashes.
Both Butter Honey Pig Bread and The Heart Does Not Bend are novels about family, food, desire, healing and connection.
The Hungry Ghosts by Shyam Selvadurai
In Sri Lankan myth, you can be reborn as a "hungry ghost" — a spirit whose appetite can never be satisfied — if you expressed too much desire while you were alive. In The Hungry Ghosts, a young man named Shivan is planning to return to Sri Lanka to see his grandmother before she dies. Before the trip, he reflects on his life, his sexuality and his relationships with his grandmother. The Hungry Ghosts is an unconventional exploration of race, sexuality and the diasporic experience in Canada.
Both Butter Honey Pig Bread and The Hungry Ghosts are novels about coming home to reconnect with your family, and both explore cultural connection, queer themes, identity and forgiveness.
You Are Eating an Orange. You are Naked. by Sheung-King
You Are Eating an Orange. You Are Naked. is a surreal novel about a translator who travels the globe with his lover. Along the way, they tell each other stories, pose philosophical questions and share their ideas about the world. It's glamorous and stimulating, but the lover often disappears without explanation.
Both Butter Honey Pig Bread and You Are Eating an Orange. You are Naked. are moving novels about longing, desire and the fragile connection between people.
The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya
In The Subtweet, Neela Devaki's song is covered by internet-famous artist Rukmini. When the two musicians meet, a transformative friendship begins. But, as Rukmini's star rises, jealousy creeps in, and Neela sends out a highly destructive tweet that blows up their friendship.
Both Butter Honey Pig Bread and The Subtweet are stories about the complex relationships between women. While Butter Honey Pig Bread revolves around food, The Subtweet revolves around music.
