'When we were Birds' by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo tells the story of Darwin and Yejide. Darwin is a Rastafarian whose need to support his mother and begin his own life causes him to go against one of the commands drummed into him from childhood, and work burying the dead in Fidelis, the largest cemetery in Port Angeles. Yejide comes from an old family in Morne Marie and like her ancestors before her plays a crucial role in protecting the living and the dead. For Yejide, Darwin is the only person who appears to her as wholly alive, and for whom she is unable to tell when he will die.

There are some novels that really get under your skin, and for me this is one of them. Banwo's writing is stunning and addictive. The writing is exceptionally clever and the reader ends up caring deeply about what will happen to the characters. Like in a bookclub when the discussion stalls because everyone loves the book, there is not much more that I can say beyond BUY THIS BOOK. I can't recommend it highly enough.

As with several marvellous books I’ve read recently, it took me a while to adjust, but was then completely hooked.

In the case of When We Were Birds, the adjustment never truly happens, and the patois jars on my self-editing self, yet at the same time it resonates with the life of another place. It is musical and rhythmic, and has me almost swaying in the breeze… I floated on the words, taking in the sense yet not really reading, but absorbing them, which was a strange sensation. The story is compelling, as while Darwin is thoroughly likeable, Yejide is intense, alive, and raging against a fate that will take her freedom from her and make her see the dead.

We switch from one to the other, both their lives beautifully laid out in all their misgivings, fears and desires. And it is no surprise why, when it comes to the reason, it’s just fate. There is still the opportunity for them to deny that fate, of course… all things are possible. But the ending is as beautiful as you’d wish.

But I’m not going to look at crows in the same light, ever again.

I usually avoid romance like the plague, but the summary of this book caught me, and I'm glad I gave it a chance.
Set in the beautiful, if troubled, Trinidad, it is part magic realism, part aforementioned love story, and part meditation on family and destiny, with a dash of crime to spice it up.
The main protagonists are both involved with death, but from different perspectives. Yejide comes from a mystical line of women whose job it is to help the souls of the dead find peace - at no small personal cost; Darwin is a Rastafarian, forced by economics to take a job as gravedigger, although interaction with the dead is proscribed by his religion. The two don't meet till past halfway through the book, which gave the author plenty of time to draw us an intimate picture of the island, as well as the separate lives and personalities of both characters. Banwo's use of language was perfect - the use of patois, in particular, added great nuance and atmosphere to the prose - but also her descriptions of people, nature, the way of life in both the city and countryside was restrained but highly evocative.
Both Yejide and Darwin are enmeshed in the expectations and emotional legacies of their families, and there are some fairly tense moments in the latter portion of the book which had me quite on edge; being Irish, of a certain generation, I'm no stranger to the weight of familial expectations on both the individual and on society as a whole; I won't spoil the ending, but I think the author manages to very gracefully and skillfully draw all the threads together at the end, giving us satisfactory, and unsentimental conclusion.

My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of When we were birds, and I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of this very talented writer.

This is a beautiful tale, where lyricism meets mysticism on the beautiful island of Trinidad. The authentic language and vivid descriptions of the city brought back memories of family visits, and I recognised some characters too ;) The book requires you to suspend your disbelief just a little, but balances this well with the exploration of themes we all encounter in our daily lives - love in all its forms, loss and loneliness.

It's taken a little while for my brain to find words for this book, other than "it's just brilliant and that's all there is to it, OK?" Which isn't exactly what we all want from a review is it!

When we Were Birds begins with an origin story, a magical fairy tale. It is the story that Yejide grows up hearing, about how the balance of life and death is held by the descendants of the Corbeaux (a type of carrion bird), who are in turn a product of an ancient war of living things, evolved from the parrots who took responsibility for the dead.

Except this is not a fairy tale, and Yejide is on the cusp of inheriting this knowledge and responsibility. At the same time, Darwin is being forced to live against his Rastafari faith for economic reasons. These two are destined to come together in what is part love story, part coming of age tale and part fantastical adventure.

What I absolutely love about this book is how Ayanna Lloyd Banwo has woven together so many themes without getting heavy handed. Her colloquial Trinidadian language is lyrical and infinitely readable. The conflict between generations and cultures is perfectly pitched and there are threads of crime, romance, fantasy and mysticism which are all completely balanced and enticing. There's a lightness of touch but depth of meaning that hooked me right from the off.

I was reading it at every opportunity, including while brushing my teeth. Which I think is a pretty good indication of how I rate this one!

This was an enjoyable read, the writing wtyle in terms of the lingo on th eisland took a while to get into but once I had I was completely immersed in the story. Itwas well written and was a good sotryline. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for my free e-copy

This book follows Darwin having just located to Port Angeles to work as a grave digger. His and Yejides - a resident who's mother has recently passed away - lives become connected.

I must admit it did take me a while to fully get in to this and understand what was going on, but when I did I really couldn't put it down.

Darwin has an uneasy feeling about working in the cemetery from the get - go and it soon becomes apparent all isn't as it seems. There are some shady characters he works with and that's just the living!

I really liked the writing style and the patois dialogue and there were also lots of wonderful references and descriptions using colours which I found really different and loved.

This is definitely a atmospheric, magical mystical tale I will be recommending.

I struggled to get into this book and I think the main reason was the language of the Island and it was right of the author to write this way as after getting used to it, it enhanced the story. Yejide lives a life trying to please her mother to no avail and feels unloved even through other people live in the house. Her mother was a twin and when her twin sister passed away life became very difficult for her and she almost stopped communicating with Yejide. The women down the generations have a gift but Yejide finds it difficult to understand that they follow the path of a dying person. When her mother passes on she sees and feels things which do not comfort her. The other main character of the book is Darwin. He comes from a deeply religious Rastafarian family who do not commune with the dead. He needs to find work and the only job he can find is as a gravedigger in the local city which he has to take in order to support his family finances. When he tells his mother she cannot cope with the knowledge as it is against all she believes in and asks him not to take the work. He has to go against her and starts the work. Eventually the two meet in the cemetery when Darwin works. Darwin is not so happy in his surroundings as he feels that he is not always alone and Yejide understands all this as she feels her gift needs encouraging. Their story is powerful and worth reading. As I said I feel it was very slow in the beginning and I almost gave me but pleased I continued as their relationship was uplifting and enlightening. It is also very interesting reading about other cultures. Some of the narrative of the cemetery reminded me of the large cemetery in New Orleans and I could put myself there quite easily with my memories

I really didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book, but I was not disappointed! Really skilful writing and a beautiful novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

When We Were Birds is a beautiful, evocative and intriguing novel focusing on two characters whose paths cross in the most unexpected ways and is in many ways a love story, however it is also a deeply moving exploration of family and family legacies and tradition which I couldn't get enough of. I was excited each morning on my daily commute to dive back into Ayanna Lloyd Banwo's immersive, heady prose.

One of the biggest strengths of this novel is in the central characters: Darwin and Yejide. Simply put - I loved them both and felt so connected to their stories and voices. From Darwin's difficult relationship with his faith and a fraying connection to a father he has few memories of to Yejide's fraught relationship with her mother and a legacy she isn't ready for, it's incredible. I really liked how the dual perspective worked seamlessly to let us know these two characters so intimately and then when they meet each other it's like you can't imagine them apart - and that's the real magic of this book.

The novel also explores the idea of life and death and how different cultures and traditions honour this in different ways - this was so interesting and to have one of the central settings be this centuries old graveyard was so eery and fitting. It adds so much atmosphere in itself but then coupled with the overarching storylines it was superb. I really liked how the story developed and also the ending - so so so good.

I think this story will stay with me for a long time, as all the best stories are wont to do - If you're looking for a new book to lose yourself in for a while - I can't recommend When We Were Birds enough.

The author’s voice is haunting. This novel has great detail which opens up the liminal space between folklore and the world we inhabit. A theme of death and the afterlife runs through the book. A great read.

This ARC was sent to me by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This debut novel is set in Trinidad and Tobago and I have to admit that it took me a little while to get into it as it is written in the rhythmic language of the area, but once I tuned into it, everything was fine and I found that it all added to the richness of the novel.

This is a mythic love story between two characters who are, I suppose, outsiders. Yejide comes from a long line of women whose are responsible for the passage of the city's souls into the afterlife, a role passed from mother to daughter. However, Yejide's fractious relationship with her mother, Petronella, leaves her unprepared for this role. then we have Darwin, a young man bought up by his devout Rastafarian mother after they were deserted by his father. As part of their belief, they are to have no interaction with the dead. Therefore when the only job that Darwin can obtain is to work as a gravedigger at Fidelis cemetery, then his relationship with his mother fractures.

As Darwin navigates life as a gravedigger, coming for the first time in his life, face to face with death in all its forms, Yejide is also trying to come to terms with the legacy that has been thrust upon her. Death is the connecting thread between these and their meeting, their connection is lovely to follow.

An astonishing debut. Thank you, Netgalley.

A book I had hoped to enjoy more. The descriptions of people and places were beautifully done and evoked the feeling of place especially. The narrative though was difficult in places to follow. Still glad I read it but it did take some work.

Beautifully written poetic love story between the dead and the living. Original and well worth reading!

When We Were Birds tells a story that has passed through generations. Being at crossroads is something that I think is relatable and finding the strength to take the path to try to better yourself is very important in this book. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo has a way of painting pictures in your mind with the words written. The power of women is mighty in this book, you will cry and you will feel relief and all sorts of feelings in this book. Everyone's story is so meaningful to them and hopefully, after you read this, you will look at those around you with more empathy, more understanding, whether you see them or not, because everyone has a story, and sometimes that story, struggle, trauma, comes from way back their lines.

Sometimes you read a book that is so unique and pitch perfect that it takes a while to want to read anything else afterwards ;When We Were Birds is such a book. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo has created a story of deep poignancy, wisdom and an incredible plot. Darwin finds a job as a gravedigger in Port Angeles- escaping the “ demands” of his mother and in search of understanding about the father he never knew. At the cemetery all is not what it seems. On the edge of the city lives Yejide who upon the death of her mother discovers that she is the inheritor of a “ability “ that will change her forever. Within the confines of the cemetery the two lives collide and each needs the other to move forward…
Astoundingly original -this is a magical book. Upon completion I have this hope that sometime in the future there could be another book showing the world of Yejide and Darwin as I’m sure their story is not complete.

The remise has me hooked but I really struggled to follow the narrative and this made the whole book a bit of a bust for me. It has so much potential.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful descriptions but, I found the switching between stories and narratives difficult to follow and unfortunately, couldn’t finish it.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC.