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In Every Mirror She’s Black #1
In Every Mirror She's Black
An AMAZON Best of the Month Pick
Good Morning America (GMA) Book Club Buzz Pick
Finalist - 2022 AAMBC Literary Award for both eBook & audiobook
Shortlist - 2021 Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award
Shortlist - 2021 Bad Form Book of the Year
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A timely and arresting debut for anyone looking for insight into what it means to be a Black woman in the world.
Three Black women are linked in unexpected ways to the same influential white man in Stockholm as they build their new lives in the most open society run by the most private people.
Successful marketing executive Kemi Adeyemi is lured from the U.S. to Sweden by Jonny von Lundin, CEO of the nation's largest marketing firm, to help fix a PR fiasco involving a racially tone-deaf campaign. A killer at work but a failure in love, Kemi's move is a last-ditch effort to reclaim her social life.
A chance meeting with Jonny in business class en route to the U.S. propels former model-turned-flight-attendant Brittany-Rae Johnson into a life of wealth, luxury, and privilege—a life she's not sure she wants—as the object of his unhealthy obsession.
And refugee Muna Saheed, who lost her entire family, finds a job cleaning the toilets at Jonny's office as she works to establish her residency in Sweden and, more importantly, seeks connection and a place she can call home.
Told through the perspectives of each of the three women, In Every Mirror She's Black is a fast-paced, richly nuanced yet accessible contemporary novel that touches on important social issues of racism, classism, fetishization, and tokenism, and what it means to be a Black woman navigating a white-dominated society.
Lola Akinmade Åkerström is an African-American (Nigerian-American) award-winning author, speaker, and photographer based in Sweden. This is her first novel.
Good Morning America (GMA) Book Club Buzz Pick
Finalist - 2022 AAMBC Literary Award for both eBook & audiobook
Shortlist - 2021 Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award
Shortlist - 2021 Bad Form Book of the Year
--------------------------------------------------
A timely and arresting debut for anyone looking for insight into what it means to be a Black woman in the world.
Three Black women are linked in unexpected ways to the same influential white man in Stockholm as they build their new lives in the most open society run by the most private people.
Successful marketing executive Kemi Adeyemi is lured from the U.S. to Sweden by Jonny von Lundin, CEO of the nation's largest marketing firm, to help fix a PR fiasco involving a racially tone-deaf campaign. A killer at work but a failure in love, Kemi's move is a last-ditch effort to reclaim her social life.
A chance meeting with Jonny in business class en route to the U.S. propels former model-turned-flight-attendant Brittany-Rae Johnson into a life of wealth, luxury, and privilege—a life she's not sure she wants—as the object of his unhealthy obsession.
And refugee Muna Saheed, who lost her entire family, finds a job cleaning the toilets at Jonny's office as she works to establish her residency in Sweden and, more importantly, seeks connection and a place she can call home.
Told through the perspectives of each of the three women, In Every Mirror She's Black is a fast-paced, richly nuanced yet accessible contemporary novel that touches on important social issues of racism, classism, fetishization, and tokenism, and what it means to be a Black woman navigating a white-dominated society.
Lola Akinmade Åkerström is an African-American (Nigerian-American) award-winning author, speaker, and photographer based in Sweden. This is her first novel.
412 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2021
1871 people are currently reading
27518 people want to read
About the author
Lola Akinmade Åkerström
7 books947 followersAward-winning Nigerian-American visual storyteller and international bestselling author based in Stockholm, Sweden.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,687 reviews
September 24, 2023
One of many reasons why I wrote IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK is that I wanted each of the women – Kemi, Brittany, Muna – to be free of having to carry the weight of society or their individual cultures simply because they are Black.
Even though they are strong, I wanted to give them space to make mistakes and to humanize them deeply. The world asks so much of us Black women.
During a recent book club event, I was asked why I wrote IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK the way I did -> tight & unflinching.
I said I wanted readers to walk away deeply remembering the lives of Kemi, Brittany, & Muna, rather than an exquisite prose.
Their lives are more important.
Even though they are strong, I wanted to give them space to make mistakes and to humanize them deeply. The world asks so much of us Black women.
During a recent book club event, I was asked why I wrote IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK the way I did -> tight & unflinching.
I said I wanted readers to walk away deeply remembering the lives of Kemi, Brittany, & Muna, rather than an exquisite prose.
Their lives are more important.
Read
September 16, 2021Kemi, Brittany-Rae, and Muna don’t know each other but soon their lives unexpectedly intersect through the same influential white man in Sweden. Fast-paced with complex characters, In Every Mirror She’s Black explores racism, tokenism, and more, through the nuanced experiences of three Black women living in a white-dominated society. She pulls no punches.
June 17, 2022
It’s Kemi, Brittany, and Muna’s show! Three black women whose only connection is a man named Jonny von Lundin. Kemi and Muna work for him and Brittany is in a relationship with him. They all get arguably equal parts in this book as we explore who they are and why they do the things they do. So what exactly is Åkerström to tell us using the lives of these three?
The characters were quite interesting. I really liked how all their lives were quite different from each other. To have characters all be connected to a single character yet the characters themselves barely have any interaction is a really fascinating concept. I think Åkerström could have definitely done more with this. Because even though they were all connected through Jonny, I was struggling to see what exactly what message was being sent. Individually, their lives illustrate many struggles that came with being a black woman in a foreign country such as Sweden, so I did really enjoy them individually.
Elaborating more on the individual lives, I found Brittany’s one amazingly bizarre, which the author obviously meant to do. Muna’s own life was definitely the hardest one to read since her life disclosed the struggles that came with being a black immigrant. I did find Kemi's life very relatable. I can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed their individual lives.
Overall, I would still definitely recommend it! I would just give a warning that maybe it might be hard to see what the author is doing.
The characters were quite interesting. I really liked how all their lives were quite different from each other. To have characters all be connected to a single character yet the characters themselves barely have any interaction is a really fascinating concept. I think Åkerström could have definitely done more with this. Because even though they were all connected through Jonny, I was struggling to see what exactly what message was being sent. Individually, their lives illustrate many struggles that came with being a black woman in a foreign country such as Sweden, so I did really enjoy them individually.
Elaborating more on the individual lives, I found Brittany’s one amazingly bizarre, which the author obviously meant to do. Muna’s own life was definitely the hardest one to read since her life disclosed the struggles that came with being a black immigrant. I did find Kemi's life very relatable. I can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed their individual lives.
Overall, I would still definitely recommend it! I would just give a warning that maybe it might be hard to see what the author is doing.
December 19, 2021
One of the worst books I read. The characters weren’t fleshed out properly and the theme seems to be black women allowing white men to fetishise and abuse them.
A brief example - Kemi an educated Nigerian woman with low self esteem who gave her body freely to a married racist man randomly, Britney a model and flight attendant left her long term partner for a stalker just because he’s rich and white, Muna was also obsessed with a man who she wasn’t in a relationship with (a Kurd refugee), and the Somali representation here was really bad.. Muna was the jilbab wearing, uneducated, refugee cleaner, to me the rep of her Somali roommates and the Somali Swedish community showed prejudice from the author.
Johnny we were told in the end is autistic but he was written as a sociopath character, the autism rep was way off.. There was nothing to like about this book and the theme was heavily centred on being saved by the white man, it read very interracial love fetish and cringe. There was too much trauma porn in this long novel that could’ve said it all in less pages.
The author could have bought a lot more nuances to the characters but totally missed the mark.
A brief example - Kemi an educated Nigerian woman with low self esteem who gave her body freely to a married racist man randomly, Britney a model and flight attendant left her long term partner for a stalker just because he’s rich and white, Muna was also obsessed with a man who she wasn’t in a relationship with (a Kurd refugee), and the Somali representation here was really bad.. Muna was the jilbab wearing, uneducated, refugee cleaner, to me the rep of her Somali roommates and the Somali Swedish community showed prejudice from the author.
Johnny we were told in the end is autistic but he was written as a sociopath character, the autism rep was way off.. There was nothing to like about this book and the theme was heavily centred on being saved by the white man, it read very interracial love fetish and cringe. There was too much trauma porn in this long novel that could’ve said it all in less pages.
The author could have bought a lot more nuances to the characters but totally missed the mark.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2021
I found this novel slightly uneven - of the three almost-intersecting stories, one is considerably weaker than the other two and unfortunately comes to somewhat dominate the narrative.
The relationship between Jonny and Brittany is highly unconvincing and there is no attempt to understand Brittany’s thought process as she undertakes a fairly ludicrous series of decisions. The author also seems to think the allusions to Jonny being somewhere on the autism spectrum are much more subtle than they are in reality.
I also wasn’t entirely convinced about Kemi’s professional situation, working in a very similar space myself. However, I thought her experience as a Black professional woman was very well conveyed and the points about the immigrant experience were really well made. I also loved Muna’s story, easily the most sympathetic character here, and the resolution to her story made me audibly gasp. I’d say there’s a better book buried within this one but it gave me a lot to think about and it was very readable, despite its relative length. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The relationship between Jonny and Brittany is highly unconvincing and there is no attempt to understand Brittany’s thought process as she undertakes a fairly ludicrous series of decisions. The author also seems to think the allusions to Jonny being somewhere on the autism spectrum are much more subtle than they are in reality.
I also wasn’t entirely convinced about Kemi’s professional situation, working in a very similar space myself. However, I thought her experience as a Black professional woman was very well conveyed and the points about the immigrant experience were really well made. I also loved Muna’s story, easily the most sympathetic character here, and the resolution to her story made me audibly gasp. I’d say there’s a better book buried within this one but it gave me a lot to think about and it was very readable, despite its relative length. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
October 8, 2023
Sigh, another book that i was really looking forward to that let me down. I know this was a debut so I try to give debut books grace; however, i think this book was overhyped. The concept was novel (no pun intended) but it was also over ambitious.
That is not an insult to the author but a fact regarding the lack of true character development. I think the desire to have this book told through three different perspectives by three different women who only had a connection through one man seemed great but the execution was lacking.
I think that this book could have been two perspectives. Or honestly, just one. I personally think the book could have gone without Muna's story mainly because it wasn't flushed out enough and her connection was loose at best, nonexistent at worse.
I do think the conversation needs to be had about anti-Black racism in a global context and I think the author made valiant attempts but didn't quite hit the bulls eye
That is not an insult to the author but a fact regarding the lack of true character development. I think the desire to have this book told through three different perspectives by three different women who only had a connection through one man seemed great but the execution was lacking.
I think that this book could have been two perspectives. Or honestly, just one. I personally think the book could have gone without Muna's story mainly because it wasn't flushed out enough and her connection was loose at best, nonexistent at worse.
I do think the conversation needs to be had about anti-Black racism in a global context and I think the author made valiant attempts but didn't quite hit the bulls eye
Read
June 26, 2022Well I had to sleep over my emotions before writing this review. I had this as a gift from a friend
My word lol
This was a good story though ; 3.5 rounded up
Let’s talk about themes
There was a lot of relevant themes that were raised immigration, racism, suicide , sense of community, family, friendship, neuro diversity, obsessions and love
The author did a good job of showing the struggles of immigrants; their painful pasts and their hope and longing for roots and healing. Sometimes they never find these and that’s what this book brings out.
The theme of friendship was rather on the bitter side; right from the beginning when Kemi’s friend turned out to be jealous it went downhill from there. I went in with the expectation that when the three main characters meet it’d be a good thing.
That was simply not meant to be ; it was plain hostile and it really pushed the narrative that women generally do not like each other and for me that was a problem. Considering Muna and the other two girls Yasmiin and Kadija were all broken I expected that they’d be some sort of refuge for each other; but no
Then why give me hope that first night they met ?
Let me talk about the characters and the way they influenced the story / themes for me
Jonny yes Jonny everything was all about him. I was deeply impressed with the integration of his undiagnosed condition into the whole story. It was impressive. It just clicked for me without being all up in my face . Maybe I have technical knowledge but she really did good with his character.
Brittany- Rae; she was on a rollercoaster of happenings. Her story was screaming pawn; like there was absolutely no active decisions on her part. Totally swept up into Jonny’s madness and stuck there.
Muna; with her story the author showed us the struggles of being more than a refugee just in name; the displacement; the need for roots and looking for a way to belong somewhere with someone was beautifully written.
I wondered what means her curiosity served though. It was really not my cup of tea, lol. I couldn’t decide what kind of character she was with that side ; was she quiet or outspoken? Because she barraged people with personal questions but couldn’t speak to Kemi ?
My heart extremely broke for her in the end
That ending left me rattled
I’m talking about the ending here because it ended with Muna
It did seem abrupt but then in the grand scheme of things it wraps up
Kemi; I find it very difficult to understand why someone portrayed as intelligent could not outright figure out that she was only employed for her skin colour and that her added qualifications were just for show. Why did she keep questioning their real intentions. Sometimes she stood up for herself; yes I liked those few instances she displayed “I won’t take rubbish “ but I didn’t like it that it took finding a man to make her take a clean break. I did not like how she treated Brittany. It was judgemental to say the least.
For the side characters; well introduced and developed I’d give her that. I did feel bad for Ahmed’s end; a sad side story. Guinhild was a balm to my wounds for Muna
Yasmiin and Kadija went through trauma on their own and I don’t know whether I was happy with how their stories ended.
Jonny’s family didn’t do well with ignoring that he was a different
Ragnar was an annoying rat for whatever he wanted to do with Kemi
Those workers at VON LUNDIN MARKETING were the worst . Just gossiping and being unfriendly
The only reason it’s not a five star for me is that some themes were raised that I felt should have been treated differently for instance that of friendship and community
And I did have expectations that were not met; I expected more impact of the ladies on each other.
My word lol
This was a good story though ; 3.5 rounded up
Let’s talk about themes
There was a lot of relevant themes that were raised immigration, racism, suicide , sense of community, family, friendship, neuro diversity, obsessions and love
The author did a good job of showing the struggles of immigrants; their painful pasts and their hope and longing for roots and healing. Sometimes they never find these and that’s what this book brings out.
The theme of friendship was rather on the bitter side; right from the beginning when Kemi’s friend turned out to be jealous it went downhill from there. I went in with the expectation that when the three main characters meet it’d be a good thing.
That was simply not meant to be ; it was plain hostile and it really pushed the narrative that women generally do not like each other and for me that was a problem. Considering Muna and the other two girls Yasmiin and Kadija were all broken I expected that they’d be some sort of refuge for each other; but no
Then why give me hope that first night they met ?
Let me talk about the characters and the way they influenced the story / themes for me
Jonny yes Jonny everything was all about him. I was deeply impressed with the integration of his undiagnosed condition into the whole story. It was impressive. It just clicked for me without being all up in my face . Maybe I have technical knowledge but she really did good with his character.
Brittany- Rae; she was on a rollercoaster of happenings. Her story was screaming pawn; like there was absolutely no active decisions on her part. Totally swept up into Jonny’s madness and stuck there.
Muna; with her story the author showed us the struggles of being more than a refugee just in name; the displacement; the need for roots and looking for a way to belong somewhere with someone was beautifully written.
I wondered what means her curiosity served though. It was really not my cup of tea, lol. I couldn’t decide what kind of character she was with that side ; was she quiet or outspoken? Because she barraged people with personal questions but couldn’t speak to Kemi ?
My heart extremely broke for her in the end
That ending left me rattled
I’m talking about the ending here because it ended with Muna
It did seem abrupt but then in the grand scheme of things it wraps up
Kemi; I find it very difficult to understand why someone portrayed as intelligent could not outright figure out that she was only employed for her skin colour and that her added qualifications were just for show. Why did she keep questioning their real intentions. Sometimes she stood up for herself; yes I liked those few instances she displayed “I won’t take rubbish “ but I didn’t like it that it took finding a man to make her take a clean break. I did not like how she treated Brittany. It was judgemental to say the least.
For the side characters; well introduced and developed I’d give her that. I did feel bad for Ahmed’s end; a sad side story. Guinhild was a balm to my wounds for Muna
Yasmiin and Kadija went through trauma on their own and I don’t know whether I was happy with how their stories ended.
Jonny’s family didn’t do well with ignoring that he was a different
Ragnar was an annoying rat for whatever he wanted to do with Kemi
Those workers at VON LUNDIN MARKETING were the worst . Just gossiping and being unfriendly
The only reason it’s not a five star for me is that some themes were raised that I felt should have been treated differently for instance that of friendship and community
And I did have expectations that were not met; I expected more impact of the ladies on each other.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2021
I was so excited to get my hands on this book and my energy for the story - or rather, three stories in one - was maintained from the moment I started reading In Every Mirror She's Black through to when I read the final sentence just four days later (which is not how quickly I normally read books what with two young kids and being deep in the edits of two books of my own - a compliment in itself!).
As mentioned above, this book really tells three different stories, those of Kemi, Brittany and Muna, three Black women who all end up in Stockholm, Sweden. They are all three connected by a white Swedish man, Jonny van Lundin, and the role he plays in all their lives are quite different, which becomes a great angle to also tell his story, which itself is complicated.
As the title suggests, much of Kemi, Brittany, and Muna's stories are impacted by the fact they are Black and what this means living and working in Stockholm and Sweden (and indeed, I imagine, in many other countries in Northern Europe). I appreciated the three very different ways these women moved around the city with different backgrounds and socio-economic status', although at times this felt jarring and confronting - as indeed it should because to only focus on the "easier" or more "romantic" journeys in this book would be to not tell the full story and I respect the author for committing to this.
At times, In Every Mirror She's Black, read like a beautifully- and urgently-written romance novel, at other times it was a raw and honest take on the failings of our (white-washed!) world and the darkest side of humanity, but always it was written with fully-developed and intriguing characters, fast-paced scenes that built relationships and tension adeptly, and it came together as a multi-layered work of fiction that straddles genres, as it should because Black women and their experiences are not singular, linear or binary. I hope this book is the first of many novels by the author because I finished the book wanting more of her sensitive, nuanced, and in many ways, hopeful take on the way Black women move, survive and thrive in this modern world.
Disclosure: I was given an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
As mentioned above, this book really tells three different stories, those of Kemi, Brittany and Muna, three Black women who all end up in Stockholm, Sweden. They are all three connected by a white Swedish man, Jonny van Lundin, and the role he plays in all their lives are quite different, which becomes a great angle to also tell his story, which itself is complicated.
As the title suggests, much of Kemi, Brittany, and Muna's stories are impacted by the fact they are Black and what this means living and working in Stockholm and Sweden (and indeed, I imagine, in many other countries in Northern Europe). I appreciated the three very different ways these women moved around the city with different backgrounds and socio-economic status', although at times this felt jarring and confronting - as indeed it should because to only focus on the "easier" or more "romantic" journeys in this book would be to not tell the full story and I respect the author for committing to this.
At times, In Every Mirror She's Black, read like a beautifully- and urgently-written romance novel, at other times it was a raw and honest take on the failings of our (white-washed!) world and the darkest side of humanity, but always it was written with fully-developed and intriguing characters, fast-paced scenes that built relationships and tension adeptly, and it came together as a multi-layered work of fiction that straddles genres, as it should because Black women and their experiences are not singular, linear or binary. I hope this book is the first of many novels by the author because I finished the book wanting more of her sensitive, nuanced, and in many ways, hopeful take on the way Black women move, survive and thrive in this modern world.
Disclosure: I was given an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
September 6, 2021
The ending of this book left me speechless.
I was really interested in the stories of these three women and ow they would eventually converge. I was really enjoying the stories but around 75% characters started making decisions that I just couldn't agree with and sometimes it was kind of hard to read because you just want the best for all of them but they're distracted by other things.
It definitely didn't turn out the way that I wanted to but it was well worth the read. I will definitely be looking out for more releases by this author
I was really interested in the stories of these three women and ow they would eventually converge. I was really enjoying the stories but around 75% characters started making decisions that I just couldn't agree with and sometimes it was kind of hard to read because you just want the best for all of them but they're distracted by other things.
It definitely didn't turn out the way that I wanted to but it was well worth the read. I will definitely be looking out for more releases by this author
February 3, 2022
I just knew I was about to give this book 5 STARS. I felt it in my bones.
Welp. . . . . that didn't happen.
I just want to send a request to all authors. . . . please don't waste my time with a story you never intended to finish. I don't need an HEA and things wrapped up in a pretty bow. Real life doesn't work that way therefore, I don't expect it in books. There is no need to finally divulge information that’s life altering and then end the book. WTF?!?!?!
There's one thing to have a cliffhanger where I know there's going to be a second book, but to just end the story after revealing everything in the last chapter is cruel. I HATE when authors do this. It's disrespectful to the reader IMO.
I'm tempted to be mean and leave a spoiler for those who don't want to waste their time but I RESPECT readers too much to do that.
I will end by saying that if you are a person who likes to know how a story ends or at least a some information on the possible trajectory of the characters, don't read this book. It will leave you feeling empty and robbed.
Welp. . . . . that didn't happen.
I just want to send a request to all authors. . . . please don't waste my time with a story you never intended to finish. I don't need an HEA and things wrapped up in a pretty bow. Real life doesn't work that way therefore, I don't expect it in books. There is no need to finally divulge information that’s life altering and then end the book. WTF?!?!?!
There's one thing to have a cliffhanger where I know there's going to be a second book, but to just end the story after revealing everything in the last chapter is cruel. I HATE when authors do this. It's disrespectful to the reader IMO.
I'm tempted to be mean and leave a spoiler for those who don't want to waste their time but I RESPECT readers too much to do that.
I will end by saying that if you are a person who likes to know how a story ends or at least a some information on the possible trajectory of the characters, don't read this book. It will leave you feeling empty and robbed.
December 27, 2024
So I had to really sit down and think about this book and my review for a couple of days.
Honestly, I expected more. I am bummed because I really wanted to like this book. I thought this would be a more cohesive story about how 3 women's lives intersect at and around one another. Instead, it meandered and at some points none of the characters seemed to really move forward. Each one seemed to be stuck by her own selfish decisions and mindset, whether those choices were thrust on her on she simply decided to.
I think Lola's writing is beautiful and has strong narrative voice. It really shines in scenes between the main characters and the love interests. So much so it makes me wonder if her writing is more suited for contemporary romance rather than contemporary literature.
I appreciate the observations and conversations this book can provoke in readers. Especially those we are not as familiar with the glass floors, ceilings and stereotypes black women face on a daily basis. But unfortunatley , this was not enough for me. I almost DNF but I held out because I was hoping it would have a solid ending. But even that left me feeling confused and disappointed. None of the characters had really resolved anything. And I guess this is because "the conversation and change are still on-going..." but really...no I would have rather the ending be disagreeable but still solid. In this case I got neither.
Overall, this was a really disappointing reading experience for me.
CW/TW: language, suicide, sexual content, mental health ( neurodivergence), grief and death
Honestly, I expected more. I am bummed because I really wanted to like this book. I thought this would be a more cohesive story about how 3 women's lives intersect at and around one another. Instead, it meandered and at some points none of the characters seemed to really move forward. Each one seemed to be stuck by her own selfish decisions and mindset, whether those choices were thrust on her on she simply decided to.
I think Lola's writing is beautiful and has strong narrative voice. It really shines in scenes between the main characters and the love interests. So much so it makes me wonder if her writing is more suited for contemporary romance rather than contemporary literature.
I appreciate the observations and conversations this book can provoke in readers. Especially those we are not as familiar with the glass floors, ceilings and stereotypes black women face on a daily basis. But unfortunatley , this was not enough for me. I almost DNF but I held out because I was hoping it would have a solid ending. But even that left me feeling confused and disappointed. None of the characters had really resolved anything. And I guess this is because "the conversation and change are still on-going..." but really...no I would have rather the ending be disagreeable but still solid. In this case I got neither.
Overall, this was a really disappointing reading experience for me.
CW/TW: language, suicide, sexual content, mental health ( neurodivergence), grief and death
October 24, 2021
This book was very well-written in terms of writing style and I enjoyed the inclusivity in the book. However, I wasn’t fond of the characters and their choices. Without giving a spoiler alert, I found myself getting angry with the women in the book and it frustrated me. Though there were some huge revelations, I wish the end was more developed and provided more metacognition of decisions made. As a black woman I hated to see how these strong black women were self defined by there relationships with (white) men. This book could have done a better job examining the relationship between trauma and generational oppression to their partner selection and racialized fetishism BOTH WAYS.
October 24, 2021
What a disservice this book does to black women painting them as weak and needing a man, being submissive to men in every aspect of their lives. The three women portrayed are shallow and self absorbed . A very disappointing read.
September 17, 2021
I enjoyed getting a peek into Swedish culture, specifically the climate of racism in the country. Otherwise this book falls flat. The lack of character development left me feeling disconnected and ultimately disappointed. I found myself questioning the motives of the characters, especially in their romantic relationships, and I thought the plot was rushed.
February 4, 2022
3-3.5 Stars.
The thing is I liked this book and what it was trying to accomplish. I think it did a really good job at capturing the micro (and macro) aggressions Black women face living in a white, “Western” society where they are othered, and it did so through the perspectives of three very different women. Kemi is a marketing guru on the rise in corporate America who’s head-hunted to direct diversity and inclusion in marketing at a top Swedish firm, Brittany is a flight attendant, former model and general grown up sugar baby never quite recovered from a past trauma, and Muna is a refugee from Somalia who has lost everyone she’s ever loved, trying to build a life for herself in Sweden.. These three women’s diverse experiences, I believe, are intended to reflect the many different experience of being Black and female intersectionally in the “West,” where no matter your social class, social network or experience, there is a sort of discrimination and even dehumanization that takes place where you’re always seen as other and not quite deserving of respect and equal humanity. Specifically for these 3 women as immigrants/expats in Sweden, Black Womanhood in this context is lonely, isolating, disrespected, as gaslit to heck and back.
I found the author’s writing to be engaging and interesting. The thing is that I feel like this book may have tried to accomplish too much in discussing all the different means through which Black women experienced discrimination and so thematically it had perhaps too much ground to cover. Because of this, I think there was not enough time to build to an ending, the resolutions felt rushed and it didn’t come together for me. The first issue for me was the story trajectories for the three women- in the end there was no proper convergence- it felt like 3 very different projects about many very different issues (corporate discrimination and sexualisation, trauma recovery and autism, and issues for refugees and new arrivals in supposedly welcoming Sweden but then also radicalization and extremism, racism, sexism, xenophobia, fatphobia, gaslighting, domestic abuse, sexual violence). There were too many themes and moreover I would have liked to see more integration of the characters across the different plots- what existed felt very last minute. Chronologically, it took 2 years for Kemi and Brittany to connect and then it’s never quite clear why their relationship was what it was- was it due to their personalities, is it about them being Black women, it just seemed very out of character especially for Kemi to be the way she was. Furthermore, very interesting character dynamics would frequently be set up with supporting characters in a scene, only to never come up again- for example Kemi with Tobias’s sister, or Brittany and Antonia, the bits about multiracialism with Malcolm and Tobias- it’s like things were touched on that could have revealed something deeper about the characters but then without exploring that depth, we were rushed on to another theme or another event so that the net was cast wide but it didn’t have a chance to sink deep. A bit more integration may have helped us learn a bit more about the lead characters and even the supporting ones. The character trajectories were also clashing. They sometimes went through personality transplants (e.g. Antonia, Kemi from time to time) and acted completely out of character, OR they stagnated and by the end remained to me mostly static and they ended up in the knowledge and positions they already had at the beginning which kind of made me wonder the point at the end- Kemi gets a rushed realization at the end, Brittany ends up pretty much where she started in terms of power and agency, and Muna- the main sympathetic character in this is also more or less stagnant, if you can call it that. I think this book felt a little rushed at the end and the resolution with Muna felt to me a little too like a manipulative device for shock value like with Ahmed or Yasmeen or Khadijah- I mean I understood it and it made sense in a full circle way, but I also felt a little manipulated because of precedent about the fate of refugees and immigrants especially those who were Muslim.
One issue people may bring up is the treatment of ASD, the author does bring it up in a note at the back but if you’re at all sensitive to having a person’s toxic traits be linked to their neurodiversity, consider if this is for you. Themes of ableism also exist in this character’s experience.
I think what the author did well was write deeply flawed characters that were also relatable in the ways that most of us are self-saboteurs in some way. We’re prone to bad decisions and wrong choices and being influenced out of our own happiness. We deny the obvious red flags and consider other people’s opinions when we shouldn’t and don’t listen to good advice when we should. We are judged and discriminated against but sometimes judge and discriminate against others. The author in writing these characters teases out a lot of nuances around racism and intersectional lived experience for Black women in Sweden.
Overall, I liked this. It felt very realistic and authentic, even when I rolled my eyes at their decisions, I thought the author did a great job writing these people. I wish this had narrowed its thematic scope a bit to develop more deeply some of the nuances and tidbits dropped along the way in the plot. I’m glad I read this and highly recommend if you’re looking for a book about race set in what is often idealized Scandinavia, with messy main characters and ALL the drama. Beware that this is potentially a very triggering book so approach with caution.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy!
The thing is I liked this book and what it was trying to accomplish. I think it did a really good job at capturing the micro (and macro) aggressions Black women face living in a white, “Western” society where they are othered, and it did so through the perspectives of three very different women. Kemi is a marketing guru on the rise in corporate America who’s head-hunted to direct diversity and inclusion in marketing at a top Swedish firm, Brittany is a flight attendant, former model and general grown up sugar baby never quite recovered from a past trauma, and Muna is a refugee from Somalia who has lost everyone she’s ever loved, trying to build a life for herself in Sweden.. These three women’s diverse experiences, I believe, are intended to reflect the many different experience of being Black and female intersectionally in the “West,” where no matter your social class, social network or experience, there is a sort of discrimination and even dehumanization that takes place where you’re always seen as other and not quite deserving of respect and equal humanity. Specifically for these 3 women as immigrants/expats in Sweden, Black Womanhood in this context is lonely, isolating, disrespected, as gaslit to heck and back.
I found the author’s writing to be engaging and interesting. The thing is that I feel like this book may have tried to accomplish too much in discussing all the different means through which Black women experienced discrimination and so thematically it had perhaps too much ground to cover. Because of this, I think there was not enough time to build to an ending, the resolutions felt rushed and it didn’t come together for me. The first issue for me was the story trajectories for the three women- in the end there was no proper convergence- it felt like 3 very different projects about many very different issues (corporate discrimination and sexualisation, trauma recovery and autism, and issues for refugees and new arrivals in supposedly welcoming Sweden but then also radicalization and extremism, racism, sexism, xenophobia, fatphobia, gaslighting, domestic abuse, sexual violence). There were too many themes and moreover I would have liked to see more integration of the characters across the different plots- what existed felt very last minute. Chronologically, it took 2 years for Kemi and Brittany to connect and then it’s never quite clear why their relationship was what it was- was it due to their personalities, is it about them being Black women, it just seemed very out of character especially for Kemi to be the way she was. Furthermore, very interesting character dynamics would frequently be set up with supporting characters in a scene, only to never come up again- for example Kemi with Tobias’s sister, or Brittany and Antonia, the bits about multiracialism with Malcolm and Tobias- it’s like things were touched on that could have revealed something deeper about the characters but then without exploring that depth, we were rushed on to another theme or another event so that the net was cast wide but it didn’t have a chance to sink deep. A bit more integration may have helped us learn a bit more about the lead characters and even the supporting ones. The character trajectories were also clashing. They sometimes went through personality transplants (e.g. Antonia, Kemi from time to time) and acted completely out of character, OR they stagnated and by the end remained to me mostly static and they ended up in the knowledge and positions they already had at the beginning which kind of made me wonder the point at the end- Kemi gets a rushed realization at the end, Brittany ends up pretty much where she started in terms of power and agency, and Muna- the main sympathetic character in this is also more or less stagnant, if you can call it that. I think this book felt a little rushed at the end and the resolution with Muna felt to me a little too like a manipulative device for shock value like with Ahmed or Yasmeen or Khadijah- I mean I understood it and it made sense in a full circle way, but I also felt a little manipulated because of precedent about the fate of refugees and immigrants especially those who were Muslim.
One issue people may bring up is the treatment of ASD, the author does bring it up in a note at the back but if you’re at all sensitive to having a person’s toxic traits be linked to their neurodiversity, consider if this is for you. Themes of ableism also exist in this character’s experience.
I think what the author did well was write deeply flawed characters that were also relatable in the ways that most of us are self-saboteurs in some way. We’re prone to bad decisions and wrong choices and being influenced out of our own happiness. We deny the obvious red flags and consider other people’s opinions when we shouldn’t and don’t listen to good advice when we should. We are judged and discriminated against but sometimes judge and discriminate against others. The author in writing these characters teases out a lot of nuances around racism and intersectional lived experience for Black women in Sweden.
Overall, I liked this. It felt very realistic and authentic, even when I rolled my eyes at their decisions, I thought the author did a great job writing these people. I wish this had narrowed its thematic scope a bit to develop more deeply some of the nuances and tidbits dropped along the way in the plot. I’m glad I read this and highly recommend if you’re looking for a book about race set in what is often idealized Scandinavia, with messy main characters and ALL the drama. Beware that this is potentially a very triggering book so approach with caution.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy!
February 1, 2022
i cant really speak to any other aspect of this book than the representation of autism. it was bad. like, really bad. one of the worst ive ever read. i could really get into it, write pages and pages, but i dont want to for a myriad of reasons.
i wasnt diagnosed particularly late (at least not compared to some people) but i was technically an adult, so i definitely missed out on getting "help" in my childhood. but you know what that didnt turn me into? a fetishistic, obsessive creep. the author can claim in her note that she "didnt intend to link any speculations of autism or being on the spectrum to his fetishism." but like, if that's the case, then what in the hell did the last 400 pages, 7 full hours of my life, even do? well, in my humble autistic opinion, it did exactly that. but whatever. im tired.
read this book for multiple interesting portrayals of what it is like to exist as a black woman in sweden. dont read this book if you're sensitive to damaging autism stereotypes, or you just might end up crying over it at 5am like me :-)
i wasnt diagnosed particularly late (at least not compared to some people) but i was technically an adult, so i definitely missed out on getting "help" in my childhood. but you know what that didnt turn me into? a fetishistic, obsessive creep. the author can claim in her note that she "didnt intend to link any speculations of autism or being on the spectrum to his fetishism." but like, if that's the case, then what in the hell did the last 400 pages, 7 full hours of my life, even do? well, in my humble autistic opinion, it did exactly that. but whatever. im tired.
read this book for multiple interesting portrayals of what it is like to exist as a black woman in sweden. dont read this book if you're sensitive to damaging autism stereotypes, or you just might end up crying over it at 5am like me :-)
December 8, 2021
A very quick and fairly enjoyable read. With the alternating viewpoints of two African American women and one African woman, the pages really turn, and the Stockholm setting makes the account of immigrant experience feel fresh. I was interested in how familiarity with the Swedish language is presented as a marker of assimilation. This reminded me a lot of The Other Black Girl in that we see Black women in the workplace and feeling like they have to justify their presence there (Kemi's role as the token Black person and representative of diversity). I also thought of Queenie and the microaggressions, often sexual, that she experiences.
The title sounds like part of a proverb. To me it suggested the inescapability of race, a major theme of the novel. My major problem was that I was unsure about the three protagonists being linked by Jonny. It seemed unfortunate that a white man had to play that role, and yet maybe the author was making the comment that, because white men still hold the power, he was the ultimate driver of the book's action. Initially I was uncomfortable with the portrayal of him as autistic, as if that was the explanation for his ruthlessness and stoicism. Also, at points this was more like a romance novel than I was expecting. Still, it was hip and different.
The title sounds like part of a proverb. To me it suggested the inescapability of race, a major theme of the novel. My major problem was that I was unsure about the three protagonists being linked by Jonny. It seemed unfortunate that a white man had to play that role, and yet maybe the author was making the comment that, because white men still hold the power, he was the ultimate driver of the book's action. Initially I was uncomfortable with the portrayal of him as autistic, as if that was the explanation for his ruthlessness and stoicism. Also, at points this was more like a romance novel than I was expecting. Still, it was hip and different.
February 2, 2021
Note: I was lucky enough to beta-read Lola Akinmade Åkerström's IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK.
Three Black women - Kemi, Brittany, and Muna - all find themselves in Sweden for very different reasons. For Kemi, it's the chance to challenge herself with rescuing a company after a disastrous and racially tone-deaf marketing campaign; for Brittany it's love and the promise of a life of security and luxury; and for Muna, it's the hope of a safe place to call home. Though indirectly connected by the same man, each woman's fate in Sweden is very different.
IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK is an absolute must-read. From its relatable and three-dimensional characters, to its delving into racism and tokenism, to its unique and sometimes heartbreaking examination of the lives of Black women in a Nordic setting, this novel delivers an emotional punch. Kemi, Brittany, and Muna's lives come alive on the page. If you're looking for a novel that will stay with you even days after you've read the last page, then make sure you grab a copy of Lola Akinmade Åkerström's IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK. This is a very different and unpredictable portrayal of Black women's search for love and self, and it's pure magic.
Three Black women - Kemi, Brittany, and Muna - all find themselves in Sweden for very different reasons. For Kemi, it's the chance to challenge herself with rescuing a company after a disastrous and racially tone-deaf marketing campaign; for Brittany it's love and the promise of a life of security and luxury; and for Muna, it's the hope of a safe place to call home. Though indirectly connected by the same man, each woman's fate in Sweden is very different.
IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK is an absolute must-read. From its relatable and three-dimensional characters, to its delving into racism and tokenism, to its unique and sometimes heartbreaking examination of the lives of Black women in a Nordic setting, this novel delivers an emotional punch. Kemi, Brittany, and Muna's lives come alive on the page. If you're looking for a novel that will stay with you even days after you've read the last page, then make sure you grab a copy of Lola Akinmade Åkerström's IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK. This is a very different and unpredictable portrayal of Black women's search for love and self, and it's pure magic.
September 26, 2021
There were a few interesting parts in this book about three black women living in Sweden (one for a job, one for a man, and another as a refugee) but the biggest disappointment was their stories never fully intersected even though all were tied to one person in various ways. The entire time reading I was wondering where is this story going only to have new fantastical details introduced in the last quarter of the book that added confusion instead of clarity. Could make a good book club read though because there is much to dissect.
February 13, 2023
2.5 stars
I'm conflicted because on the one hand, I liked the writing and the themes explored in the novel (fetishization, racism, tokenism, microagressions, immigration, etc) but on the other hand, I was bothered by the unbalanced narratives and daft character choices.
Brittany: I cannot for the life of me understand the decisions made by Brittany-Rae. Her naïveté and recklessness were beyond comprehension at nearly every turn. It's maddening trying to grasp how a woman in her late thirties could exhibit such impulsive behavior.
Kemi: Similarly, I'm confounded by Kemi's situation. She's built up to be a thoughtful, strong-willed, intelligent woman. So I was baffled by her lack of self-control when it mattered most. It seemed to come out of nowhere, how her poise unraveled before this man she barely knows.
Even as I write this, I struggle with the dueling attitudes within me: one that is frustrated with these characters, and the other that accepts their right to make mistakes. Perhaps it's no coincidence that my feelings fit so well with the themes: that black women, made to feel less while being held to a higher standard, are not allowed to fail freely.
Johnny: I understand the author's attempt to make Johnny a complex character. However, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with how his autism was used in the story. It's not that a character on the spectrum can't do bad things or be a bad person; anyone and everyone is capable of harming others. But something about it left a bad taste in my mouth. I wish I could explain better what rubbed me the wrong way.
Muna: I appreciated how her storyline touched on loss, grief, and the unique perspective of being a refugee. I wish I had been more arrested by it. More could have been done to flesh out her character and her narrative.
Speaking of narratives, I was expecting for the three women's lives to converge in a more consequential way. They meet and interact, by being at the same place at the same time, but they don't have much effect on each other. It was cool to see three people from different circumstances encounter each other but I'm not sure that it added anything to the story overall.
Ultimately, Brittany's story was the most compelling; I looked forward to it the most because I had to see how the drama unfolded. I'm not sure I would've liked this book or even finished it otherwise.
I'm conflicted because on the one hand, I liked the writing and the themes explored in the novel (fetishization, racism, tokenism, microagressions, immigration, etc) but on the other hand, I was bothered by the unbalanced narratives and daft character choices.
Brittany: I cannot for the life of me understand the decisions made by Brittany-Rae. Her naïveté and recklessness were beyond comprehension at nearly every turn. It's maddening trying to grasp how a woman in her late thirties could exhibit such impulsive behavior.
Kemi: Similarly, I'm confounded by Kemi's situation. She's built up to be a thoughtful, strong-willed, intelligent woman. So I was baffled by her lack of self-control when it mattered most. It seemed to come out of nowhere, how her poise unraveled before this man she barely knows.
Even as I write this, I struggle with the dueling attitudes within me: one that is frustrated with these characters, and the other that accepts their right to make mistakes. Perhaps it's no coincidence that my feelings fit so well with the themes: that black women, made to feel less while being held to a higher standard, are not allowed to fail freely.
Johnny: I understand the author's attempt to make Johnny a complex character. However, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with how his autism was used in the story. It's not that a character on the spectrum can't do bad things or be a bad person; anyone and everyone is capable of harming others. But something about it left a bad taste in my mouth. I wish I could explain better what rubbed me the wrong way.
Muna: I appreciated how her storyline touched on loss, grief, and the unique perspective of being a refugee. I wish I had been more arrested by it. More could have been done to flesh out her character and her narrative.
Speaking of narratives, I was expecting for the three women's lives to converge in a more consequential way. They meet and interact, by being at the same place at the same time, but they don't have much effect on each other. It was cool to see three people from different circumstances encounter each other but I'm not sure that it added anything to the story overall.
Ultimately, Brittany's story was the most compelling; I looked forward to it the most because I had to see how the drama unfolded. I'm not sure I would've liked this book or even finished it otherwise.
March 30, 2021
What a riveting novel! The story, centered on three Black women whose lives intersect in Sweden, captured my interest from the start. Deftly written, it explores love, race, privilege, and finding a sense of belonging in a new place. The book is filled with elements I could relate to while others shocked me to the core, triggering much thought. Akinmade Åkerström created a trio of three-dimensional characters with Kemi, Brittany-Rae, and Muna and I was rooting for each woman to find the happiness she deserved. Her writing style is fluid yet filled with many hard truths. The underlying themes challenge many prevailing assumptions about Sweden but compelling stories take courage to write. One feels Akinmade Åkerström poured her heart, soul, and sharp observational skills into writing this novel. A timely, thought-provoking page-turner and powerful debut!
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the author but this review is entirely my own.
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the author but this review is entirely my own.
April 17, 2021
In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lola Akinmade Ankerstrom is a stunning fictional novel that gives the reader a real, raw, and unique perspective into the lives of three women in Stockholm, Sweden.
At first, the reader thinks that the lives and story lines between the three main female characters:
Kemi, Brittany-Rae, and Muna can have nothing whatsoever in common, however as the three separate stories are interweaved through the common character of Jonny, one finds many similarities.
This book is so unique. Through the eyes of these three women, one can see how brutal, imperfect, flawed, and raw society is in Sweden in this book. One can see, feel, and experience along with them the prejudices, the obstacles, and the inherent difficulties that are presented to not just women, but women of color, and women of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and financial backings. Yes, there were lighter elements of romance and passion, but it is balanced out nicely with the honest and clear lenses that are used to see the darker aspect of humanity and society.
The ending left me sad, but satisfied, and thankful I was able to read this stunning narrative.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Sourcebooks Landmark for this wonderful arc in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.
At first, the reader thinks that the lives and story lines between the three main female characters:
Kemi, Brittany-Rae, and Muna can have nothing whatsoever in common, however as the three separate stories are interweaved through the common character of Jonny, one finds many similarities.
This book is so unique. Through the eyes of these three women, one can see how brutal, imperfect, flawed, and raw society is in Sweden in this book. One can see, feel, and experience along with them the prejudices, the obstacles, and the inherent difficulties that are presented to not just women, but women of color, and women of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and financial backings. Yes, there were lighter elements of romance and passion, but it is balanced out nicely with the honest and clear lenses that are used to see the darker aspect of humanity and society.
The ending left me sad, but satisfied, and thankful I was able to read this stunning narrative.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Sourcebooks Landmark for this wonderful arc in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.
April 16, 2022
This book started off strong-ish for me and then it started a steady slow and long descent into a frustrating (longer than it needed to be) read. I don’t generally like any fiction/book that portrays black men in an overwhelmingly bad light while reinforcing a stereotypical white savior trope. I found this book frustrating because of that.
The black male characters were stereotypical. One, a lawyer, who is a great boyfriend but hasn’t proposed yet and of course that brings up commitment issues. The other, a solid man, is a security guard and of course that brings up issues of class and drive etc.
Both of those portrayals irritated me because they were juxtaposed with white men that were just by chance waiting in the wings to swoop in.
AND the unnecessary tension between two female black characters sent me over the edge. Both women were marginalized living in Sweden and the author decides that they should have all of this tension with one another instead of building and supporting friendships between black women.
I can see why others may like this book though — the author tackles a lot — inclusivity, racism, sexism, class, sexual fetishes, black/brown/white people, suicide, terrorism, rape, on and and on and on and on but it was just too much for me and none of it was done particularly well.
AND her portrayal of Jonny didn’t sit quite right with me either. I know I am in a small group who didn’t like this book.
The black male characters were stereotypical. One, a lawyer, who is a great boyfriend but hasn’t proposed yet and of course that brings up commitment issues. The other, a solid man, is a security guard and of course that brings up issues of class and drive etc.
Both of those portrayals irritated me because they were juxtaposed with white men that were just by chance waiting in the wings to swoop in.
AND the unnecessary tension between two female black characters sent me over the edge. Both women were marginalized living in Sweden and the author decides that they should have all of this tension with one another instead of building and supporting friendships between black women.
I can see why others may like this book though — the author tackles a lot — inclusivity, racism, sexism, class, sexual fetishes, black/brown/white people, suicide, terrorism, rape, on and and on and on and on but it was just too much for me and none of it was done particularly well.
AND her portrayal of Jonny didn’t sit quite right with me either. I know I am in a small group who didn’t like this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2022
I wanted to like In Every Mirror She’s Black – it’s gotten all sorts of awards and positive reviews – but I can’t finish it. The characters are flat and making the mistakes of teenagers, although they are mostly older than that. The language is often overdone:
Brittany looked away, half expecting his lips to cool down the scorching trail his fingers left along her neck. When moisture from his mouth never came, she turned back to find him drinking her in intensely with a look that shook her core. And when his kiss came, it wasn’t a maddening possession but rather a slow pressure that plied her mouth open. (p. 59)
I think less is often more, while Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström seems to believe more is more. (I get it. That’s how I garden.)
At this point in In Every Mirror She’s Black, the characters' mistakes (e.g., poor self-confidence, stalking, choosing dangerous relationships) feel like individual mistakes rather than the result of structural racism. Perhaps that is where Ákínmádé Åkerström is taking us, and I am too impatient to wait for.
DNF at 21%.
Brittany looked away, half expecting his lips to cool down the scorching trail his fingers left along her neck. When moisture from his mouth never came, she turned back to find him drinking her in intensely with a look that shook her core. And when his kiss came, it wasn’t a maddening possession but rather a slow pressure that plied her mouth open. (p. 59)
I think less is often more, while Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström seems to believe more is more. (I get it. That’s how I garden.)
At this point in In Every Mirror She’s Black, the characters' mistakes (e.g., poor self-confidence, stalking, choosing dangerous relationships) feel like individual mistakes rather than the result of structural racism. Perhaps that is where Ákínmádé Åkerström is taking us, and I am too impatient to wait for.
DNF at 21%.
February 2, 2023
i’m sorry but demonizing autism and then in your author’s note saying “autism is a superpower” is peak neurotypical behavior. nope.
December 16, 2021
For the first forty pages or so, I enjoyed this novel. I've always been a sucker for novels that blend multiple storylines, so the focus on three different women of colour as they adapt to life in Sweden was fascinating. The characters were interesting, the setting was original, and I was excited to see how the novel developed.
Unfortunately, however, the story as a whole felt quite flat to me. Firstly, the novel was so overly-critical of Sweden that I felt I couldn't enjoy the setting at all. These women all (with one possible exception) chose to build their lives in Sweden, and they face considerable opposition, yet the novel also refuses to place any blame on them for their lack of integration. Two of the main characters don't bother to learn Swedish, for example, and yet their isolation is blamed fully on the unfriendly locals.
Similarly, the novel's treatment of racism lacks any originality or nuance. For example, the characters consistently refer to other women of colour as "sisters" and try to connect with each other, but when a white person suggests that two black women might like to be friends, that's branded as completely racist. Another significant plot point is a white man having a fetish for black women, which is obviously problematic, but yet the black woman who falls in love with him is completely aware of this fetish and she still marries him. The novel deals with many of the same issues as SUCH A FUN AGE, but without any of the complexity of that novel.
My biggest frustration with this story, however, was just how ridiculous the romantic plot lines were. While all the women were strong and intelligent, their romantic choices were completely inexplicable. One of them meets a guy on an airplane and, despite the fact that they have zero chemistry, leaves her long-term boyfriend and gets married to the new guy. Another one is a high-powered executive who's dating life sounds like she's a teenager. And the final one loves a guy so much that she refuses to say anything about him, as that would betray his confidence even though he's dead.
Overall, I really like what this novel is trying to do. Focussing on three different women and their (slightly) overlapping stories does paint a picture of what it's like to be a black woman in Scandinavia. The utter lack of any nuance in the novel, however, makes the story feel like an anti-Swedish rant, rather than an insightful exploration of the experience of women of colour.
Unfortunately, however, the story as a whole felt quite flat to me. Firstly, the novel was so overly-critical of Sweden that I felt I couldn't enjoy the setting at all. These women all (with one possible exception) chose to build their lives in Sweden, and they face considerable opposition, yet the novel also refuses to place any blame on them for their lack of integration. Two of the main characters don't bother to learn Swedish, for example, and yet their isolation is blamed fully on the unfriendly locals.
Similarly, the novel's treatment of racism lacks any originality or nuance. For example, the characters consistently refer to other women of colour as "sisters" and try to connect with each other, but when a white person suggests that two black women might like to be friends, that's branded as completely racist. Another significant plot point is a white man having a fetish for black women, which is obviously problematic, but yet the black woman who falls in love with him is completely aware of this fetish and she still marries him. The novel deals with many of the same issues as SUCH A FUN AGE, but without any of the complexity of that novel.
My biggest frustration with this story, however, was just how ridiculous the romantic plot lines were. While all the women were strong and intelligent, their romantic choices were completely inexplicable. One of them meets a guy on an airplane and, despite the fact that they have zero chemistry, leaves her long-term boyfriend and gets married to the new guy. Another one is a high-powered executive who's dating life sounds like she's a teenager. And the final one loves a guy so much that she refuses to say anything about him, as that would betray his confidence even though he's dead.
Overall, I really like what this novel is trying to do. Focussing on three different women and their (slightly) overlapping stories does paint a picture of what it's like to be a black woman in Scandinavia. The utter lack of any nuance in the novel, however, makes the story feel like an anti-Swedish rant, rather than an insightful exploration of the experience of women of colour.
March 20, 2022
Thank you Sourcebooks for sending a finished copy my way in exchange for an honest review!
I loved every second of this book, packed with SO many issues, like racism, classism, micro/macro aggressions, mental health, suicide, fetishization of Black bodies, sexism. Sounds like a lot, I know, but they’re all dealt with in a way that doesn’t make the story seem cluttered or over-emphasizing some issues and not others (ive had this problem with other books ive read, and I’m SO happy this book wasn’t one of those). All these important themes and situations work together perfectly.
If you’re looking for a novel filled with action, this isn’t it. It’s more of a social commentary made through the lives of each of the main characters - Kemi, Brittany, and Muna - and how they survive day-to-day. I found each of their stories interesting, and how they’re all connected through one powerful man.
I really liked that the end of the novel, Lola has written an authors note about Jonny (super powerful dude), and how he has an undiagnosed condition throughout the novel, which I find interesting because yes, this novel is essentially about three Black women who are made to feel like the Other in their new homes, but it’s also about Jonny who wasn’t allowed to believe he was different when he was young (not that I care about Jonny at all, he has a LOT of faults as a character).
Although there are a couple of slightly confusing, possibly misleading scenes in the book and sometimes a not-so-clear timeline with a very abrupt ending (not surprising since it’s literary/contemporary fiction), I still love this so much and it’s such a fantastic book, and I want more.
I loved every second of this book, packed with SO many issues, like racism, classism, micro/macro aggressions, mental health, suicide, fetishization of Black bodies, sexism. Sounds like a lot, I know, but they’re all dealt with in a way that doesn’t make the story seem cluttered or over-emphasizing some issues and not others (ive had this problem with other books ive read, and I’m SO happy this book wasn’t one of those). All these important themes and situations work together perfectly.
If you’re looking for a novel filled with action, this isn’t it. It’s more of a social commentary made through the lives of each of the main characters - Kemi, Brittany, and Muna - and how they survive day-to-day. I found each of their stories interesting, and how they’re all connected through one powerful man.
I really liked that the end of the novel, Lola has written an authors note about Jonny (super powerful dude), and how he has an undiagnosed condition throughout the novel, which I find interesting because yes, this novel is essentially about three Black women who are made to feel like the Other in their new homes, but it’s also about Jonny who wasn’t allowed to believe he was different when he was young (not that I care about Jonny at all, he has a LOT of faults as a character).
Although there are a couple of slightly confusing, possibly misleading scenes in the book and sometimes a not-so-clear timeline with a very abrupt ending (not surprising since it’s literary/contemporary fiction), I still love this so much and it’s such a fantastic book, and I want more.
August 5, 2022
2 stars. And that is being generous because it is a debut novel by a Black woman. I was about 30 pages in and I knew that I would hate this book. Honestly, I was expecting something different and all this book offered was Black pain and fetishism for 400 pages! I cannot recommend this book and for that I am truly sad.
April 25, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
I was gonna give this 4 stars but the ending omg I didn’t know I was so invested into these characters until that ending. I got tear eyed and everything. This hits on so many important things that need to be talked about more when it comes to black woman. I wanted so much more for all the characters in this. It was so good! I hate I’ve waited so long to read it, so yeah read it 🫶🏾
I was gonna give this 4 stars but the ending omg I didn’t know I was so invested into these characters until that ending. I got tear eyed and everything. This hits on so many important things that need to be talked about more when it comes to black woman. I wanted so much more for all the characters in this. It was so good! I hate I’ve waited so long to read it, so yeah read it 🫶🏾
May 26, 2022
The book was very slow for me in the beginning. So slow to the fact that I had to ditch reading the book to listening to it. The writing was cumbersome to say the least. The story was somewhat interesting in various parts throughout the book, but by the end, I wasn’t very impressed.
The story is about 3 Black women who have all found themselves in Sweden for various reasons. Kemi, relocates to Sweden because she feels undervalued, restricted, and underhanded with her current boss, and is being headhunted to be the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for one of the top marketing firms in the world, IKON, owned by Jonny von Lundin. Due to a diversity debacle IKON has recently experience, Kemi has come to save the face of the marketing firm from complete ruin. She is also very lonely, and is hoping this move is the right one. However, quickly upon arriving, she realizes that the same troubles facing her in the states is also present in Sweden.
Muna, is a refugee from Mogadishu, and has lost everyone she loves. She is in search of a place to call home. Upon arriving in Sweden, at an asylum center that is funded by the owner of IKON, Jonny von Lundin, she befriends a man name Ahmed, who has also lost everyone he loves, and they both hang on to each other since they have no one else. However, Ahmed is constantly being rejected by this new country and the people in the asylum center, and he also leaves Muna behind. Muna is longing to be apart of something, and not be in this world by herself, but it seems she never can catch a break.
Brittany-Rae, hailing from Atlanta, GA has piqued the interest of Sweden’s IKON owner, Jonny von Lundin. So much so that he has went to extreme lengths to get her to come to Sweden and be with him. Brittany, beautiful former fashion model, turned flight attendant, she meets Jonny on one of her flights, and decides to pursue what he is throwing out to her. A chance of a lifetime. She takes it. However, when getting to Sweden, she realizes she’s bitten off more than she can chew.
The story follows these three women and how their lives are shaped by Sweden’s culture, and Jonny’s presence in their lives. The women briefly all come in contact with one another, but their stories do not intersect in a way that makes them intertwined, which kind of makes meeting feel like happenstance, instead of meaningful. I wish the author had put more thought into an interconnecting story about these three women and Jonny, but the way it was written, did not make the stories of the women’s lives interesting enough. Matter of fact, I don’t even know why Muna’s story was even included because it seemed so inconsequential to the entire plot of what was going on.
By the end, you learn some new details about Jonny, but it makes for more questions instead of clarifying things with him and his behaviors. He was depicted as quirky and eccentric, when there is a bit more going on, and the details don’t really shed that much light, but makes things even more murky and underhanded.
Some of the topics of interest were:
- Immigration
- Ex-pats
- Politics
- Racism/prejudice
- Sexism
- Micro/macro-aggressions in the workplace
- Assimilation
TW: suicide, domestic violence, death
Overall, I’d give this a 3.
The story is about 3 Black women who have all found themselves in Sweden for various reasons. Kemi, relocates to Sweden because she feels undervalued, restricted, and underhanded with her current boss, and is being headhunted to be the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for one of the top marketing firms in the world, IKON, owned by Jonny von Lundin. Due to a diversity debacle IKON has recently experience, Kemi has come to save the face of the marketing firm from complete ruin. She is also very lonely, and is hoping this move is the right one. However, quickly upon arriving, she realizes that the same troubles facing her in the states is also present in Sweden.
Muna, is a refugee from Mogadishu, and has lost everyone she loves. She is in search of a place to call home. Upon arriving in Sweden, at an asylum center that is funded by the owner of IKON, Jonny von Lundin, she befriends a man name Ahmed, who has also lost everyone he loves, and they both hang on to each other since they have no one else. However, Ahmed is constantly being rejected by this new country and the people in the asylum center, and he also leaves Muna behind. Muna is longing to be apart of something, and not be in this world by herself, but it seems she never can catch a break.
Brittany-Rae, hailing from Atlanta, GA has piqued the interest of Sweden’s IKON owner, Jonny von Lundin. So much so that he has went to extreme lengths to get her to come to Sweden and be with him. Brittany, beautiful former fashion model, turned flight attendant, she meets Jonny on one of her flights, and decides to pursue what he is throwing out to her. A chance of a lifetime. She takes it. However, when getting to Sweden, she realizes she’s bitten off more than she can chew.
The story follows these three women and how their lives are shaped by Sweden’s culture, and Jonny’s presence in their lives. The women briefly all come in contact with one another, but their stories do not intersect in a way that makes them intertwined, which kind of makes meeting feel like happenstance, instead of meaningful. I wish the author had put more thought into an interconnecting story about these three women and Jonny, but the way it was written, did not make the stories of the women’s lives interesting enough. Matter of fact, I don’t even know why Muna’s story was even included because it seemed so inconsequential to the entire plot of what was going on.
By the end, you learn some new details about Jonny, but it makes for more questions instead of clarifying things with him and his behaviors. He was depicted as quirky and eccentric, when there is a bit more going on, and the details don’t really shed that much light, but makes things even more murky and underhanded.
Some of the topics of interest were:
- Immigration
- Ex-pats
- Politics
- Racism/prejudice
- Sexism
- Micro/macro-aggressions in the workplace
- Assimilation
TW: suicide, domestic violence, death
Overall, I’d give this a 3.
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