Available Formats
When We Were Birds
By (Author) Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
Penguin Books Ltd
Penguin Books Ltd
9th May 2023
9th February 2023
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary
Romance: fantasy and paranormal
Myths and Legends / Mythic fiction
Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss
Narrative theme: Love and relationships
813.6
Paperback
288
Width 129mm, Height 197mm, Spine 16mm
206g
Unmissable, uplifting debut fiction - a richly mythic love story set in the lush landscape of modern Trinidad Darwin is a down-on-his-luck gravedigger, newly arrived in the city to seek his fortune, young and beautiful and lost. Estranged from his mother, he is convinced that the father he never met may be waiting for him somewhere amid these bustling streets. Meanwhile in an old house on a hill, Yejide's mother is dying. And she is leaving behind a legacy that now passes to Yejide- the keeper of the dead. Darwin and Yejide will find one another in the ancient cemetery at the heart of the city, where trouble is brewing and destiny awaits... Embedded with timeless myth and magic, this hypnotic literary debut is a masterpiece about loss and renewal, darkness and light- a reckoning with a grief that runs back generations and a defiant, joyful affirmation of hope.
This magical tale of a Trinidadian gravedigger searching for a father he never met proves we should believe the hype * Stella, Sunday Telegraph *
Luminous, gripping, packed with drama, colour and tension... A thoroughly original and emotionally rich examination of love, grief and inheritance... Like the vultures which escort dead souls to the afterlife, Ayanna Lloyd Banwo's novel takes flight and soars * Economist *
Tender and lonely and powerful... A love letter to Trinidad [and] a vivid debut about romance and loss in the Caribbean... It also centres another kind of love: the complexity of mothering and its beautiful and terrible consequences... Lloyd Banwo conjures an aching sexual energy, places the lovers in deliciously paced jeopardy and takes the tale to an agreeably thundery climax * Guardian *
Beguiling, mesmerising, vibrantly alive... There's a lovely dreaminess to the prose and a heart-stopping romance alongside the supernatural magic but it's a novel firmly rooted in the nitty gritty of life * Daily Express *
Soulful, haunting, a deep-rooted love story... Uniquely tackling themes of grief, identity and acceptance, Ayanna Lloyd Banwo's rhythmic prose builds tension at every step... A tale of finding one's self * Stylist *
Lyrical, powerful, thought-provoking... This is a book about the histories we try to erase and the importance of reckoning with them. It is about 'small lives'; about honouring deaths that have gone 'unclaimed', 'unremembered', 'unmourned' * Irish Independent *
Suffused with myth and magic, eerie, enchanting... The atmosphere is intensely conjured, with squalling storms, luscious food and sinister acts by night... In the Trinidad of Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, the departed are never gone * Sunday Telegraph *
Mythic and captivating, electric, breathtaking... The anchor of this story is Trinidad itself. Banwo roots the reader in its traditions and rituals, in the sights and sounds and colours and smells of fruit vendors, fish vendors, street preachers and schoolchildren, in the glorious matriarchy by which lineage is upheld * New York Times Book Review *
Rich and rhythmic, triumphant and joyous... An enchanting exploration of love and loss, a ghost story whose characters are haunted by their ancestral responsibilities... I only wish I could have basked in the beauty of [the love story] for longer * New Statesman *
A searing symphony of magic and loss, love and hope, where in the middle of death, love comes shiny, sparkling and alive. This book might just heal you -- Marlon James, author of 'Black Leopard, Red Wolf'
Exceptional. The originality of its premise, the power and beauty of its prose, the depth of its explorations of what it means to love and be loved... When We Were Birds is about the silver cord of memory and blood and history that binds a family of women even after death. I loved this book -- Jacob Ross, author of 'Black Rain Falling'
A fabulous journey to a fictionalised Trinidad, where reality and imagination, the living and the dead converge... Lovers of the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez or Isabel Allende will feel right at home... A warm, vibrant and ultimately, uplifting debut * Sunday Independent *
Combining the richness of myth with razor-sharp observation of contemporary life, When We Were Birds marks the emergence of a distinctive and powerful voice -- Pat Barker, author of 'The Silence of the Girls'
I was spellbound! A gorgeous, fantastical story that deftly weaves the earthly and ethereal and melds their boundaries. Womanhood and life within death is told through magical realism. A mesmerising love story that is achingly tender -- Bolu Babalola, author of 'Love in Colour'
A rich mixture of the real and fantasy landscapes of Trinidad... Lloyd Banwo gives both [protagonists] an authentic voice, and we feel their conflicts and urges deeply. As the novel rushes them towards its dramatic conclusion, you almost wish for more time with them and the enigmatic world she has created * i paper *
A beautifully rich and alluring love story... When We Were Birds is a mesmerizing work of fiction, embedded with timeless, mythic magic and wisdom. A stunning new voice in fiction, Banwo's tale is a standout from the crowd * Daily Hive *
Heart-warming and heart-breaking, fantastical and familiar, with characters that burrow their way into your heart and mind with their tragedies and triumphs, When We Were Birds is the kind of story that makes you want to spread your arms open wide, embrace the sky, and take flight in your own little way. It is glorious
-- Robert Jones Jr, author of 'The Prophets'I absolutely loved it, and I'm sure everyone who picks it up will love it too. When We Were Birds has a similar power and depth to This One Sky Day. It is a love story between two outsiders but also a love letter to language itself, full of myth but deeply grounded in reality. I cannot wait to read what Ayanna writes next!
-- Anna Ellory, author of 'The Puzzle Women'A shining new light on the literary scene. When We Were Birds is a novel reminiscent of old folklore tales, woven with myths, ghosts and love, and told with a powerful voice that is simply unforgettable
-- Ronali Collings, author of 'All the Single Ladies'Ayanna Lloyd Banwo is a writer from Trinidad & Tobago. She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she is now a Creative and Critical Writing PhD candidate. Her work has been published in Moko Magazine, Small Axe and PREE, among others, and shortlisted for Small Axe Literary Competition and the Wasafiri New Writing Prize. When We Were Birds is her first novel; she is now working on her second. Ayanna lives with her husband in London.