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.
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.
Kemi, 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.
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.
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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.
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
This was recommended to me by one of my friends because I liked THE OTHER BLACK GIRL. It tackles similar concepts, such as institutionalized racism and micro-aggressions, but this book is primarily set in Sweden, so it's more of an insight into the difficulties that Sweden, as a country, faces with regard to immigrants, diverse work forces, and attitudes towards interracial relationships/families.
There are three narrators in this book: Kemi, a Nigerian-American woman who works in marketing and has been recruited to a big Swedish company following a highly publicized moment of cultural insensitivity; there is Muna, a Somali immigrant living in Sweden (I believe she is a refugee), first in a detention center and then in what I believe is gov't subsidized housing; and then there is Brittany-Rae, a Black American ex-model and current flight attendant who catches the eye of a Swedish multi-millionaire and becomes his trophy wife.
IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK takes a lot to get moving. At first I considered DNF-ing but I did end up finishing. Each narrator is totally different and I liked how they all faced a unique set of problems and had such distinct personalities. I also liked the author's voice for all these women and the way she offered insights into social issues of Sweden. I was less keen on Jonny and the ending for all of the characters but Kemi. It ended up being quite a depressing book, and I don't want to say too much about that because, you know, spoilers. But don't read this on a bad day.
Overall, I did like this book and I'd recommend it to people who would be interested in seeing how racism looks in other countries and who enjoy intensely dramatic reads that don't necessarily end happily for all the characters. I wouldn't read this again but I'd read more from this author.
Well 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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 :-)
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'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.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
I've had the honor of seeing this book through various stages of writing, and I couldn't be happier to see it out in the world. It's an important exploration of what it means to be a Black woman from the view of women with different backgrounds, classes, and ideologies.
I applaud Lola's ability to approach topics that many people would prefer don't exist.
And it's a fun, enjoyable read. I screamed for the characters as they made mistakes, applauded as they found their joys, and I can't wait to get my hard copy to read again.
In every mirror she’s black follows the lives of three black women: Kemi, Muna and Brittany and what it’s like living in a white dominated society. All these women have one person in common, a wealthy influential white man named Johnny Van Lunden.
If you’re looking for an action packed book this isn’t for you. It is told through each women’s points of view as they share their struggles on a daily basis. I thought it was interesting take on how these women rarely interacted but were all connected by the same guy. Both Kemi and Muna work for him while Brittany is married to him. I was shook by the end. Each one of these women were trying to belong and create their identity in Sweden and they each never felt they fit in. They constantly dealt with racism. The author did an excellent job with weaving their stories so the novel flowed flawlessly. Lastly, this quote.. 💔
“I love your spirit. But I would rather go back home and die fighting for something than die here in paradise doing nothing and listening to birdsong.”
It’s better to fight for what you want then settle and be unhappy.
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I was approved for an eARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
WHAT????!!!??? IT CAN'T END LIKE THAT!!!!!
What a rollercoaster.
The first 3 chapters introduce the 3 main characters and at this point, i couldn't tell you who i loved more. Immediately each one was intriguing me, their stories all so different, yet all linked with one particular aspect.
Kemi seems like she has a good job and her story will revolve around that, Brittany is a flight attendant for business class and her first chapter was so interesting! Finally Muna, a refugee and a Muslim aswell so instantly i connected with her.
As the chapters went on, my views changed consistently. I was apalled at Brittany, i felt so bad for Kemi and i was just rooting for Muna the whole way through.
The struggles, the underlying racism, the work ethics and how women - especially black women are treated at work, and an unexpected undiagnosed condition, which pulled the whole story together.
I could not put this down. I was hoping all 3 women would meet but their stories aligned in a way i didn't expect.
The writing is beautiful. It pulls you in and it doesn't let you stop reading, i really struggled to find a good place to stop. I guarantee whilst reading this, you will start with one favourite character and end with another!!!
AND SPEAKING OF ENDINGS.... i cannot believe it ended like that.... 😱😱😱😱😱
This book must be published in Swedish immediately. (A recording with readers who are more adept with the Swedish language, and American Southern and Swedish accents should follow closely afterwards. Thus 4 stars for the audiobook, instead of 5.) The various experiences of Afro Swedish women in this book speak into a yawning void in Sweden, where the existence of racism is largely denied.
Even as a white American woman who has immigrated to Sweden, these characters spoke to cultural exclusion I’ve experienced where my (white American) husband thrives. The stark difference being that he was recruited for a high level position (similar to Kemi’s story) and I followed. This puts me in a position closer to Muna’s, where I struggle to find steady employment, despite an American university degree and fluency in English - advantages that Muna doesn’t have.
Outside of Sweden, the loosely intertwined stories of these 3 women remain important and applicable. I appreciate that their stories didn’t ever fully intersect in a way that tied the story up into a neat package. This increased the realism for me, and underlined the honesty of the stories. Brittney-Rae’s story line was a bit too fantastical, but provided an opposing situation to Muna’s darker storyline.
Overall, the author has created multi-faceted characters in complex situations and never shied away from going deep.
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.