Although U have never heard of this author- Olufunke Grace Bankole, I was glad that requested this debut novel. This tells the story of a family from Nigeria as they navigate life between their homeland and New Orleans. The family face love and sacrifice. The family works hard to overcome, and maintain relationships.

#Netgalley #ARC #Nigeria #Family #Sacrifice

Book Review The Edge of Water by Olufunke Grace Bankole

Publication Date: Feb 3/25

Thanks NetGalley and Tin House publishing for the opportunity to preview this book. The opinions are my own.

This is a beautifully written book following the lives of a mother and daughter in Nigeria, Esther and Amina. They are Yoruba which enriches the story with Yoruba religion, culture and folklore and how this impacts the women’s lives, their choices and dreams.

Esther is a pillar of strength, experiencing scores of adversity and trauma, and starting her own restaurant business so she is not reliant on anyone for survival. She wants the best for her daughter, culturally, that means marriage. Amina is dissatisfied with her life and dreams of going to America. She succeeds in the Visa lottery and moves to New Orleans. Her mother has been told that her destiny is tied to the Nigerian land, but she supports her dreams.

Amina continues to feel unfulfilled but begins to believe that she can control her own destiny. The hurricane hits New Orleans and Amina and her daughter are forced to seek shelter at the Dome, her dreams come to an end as another faceless black woman.

This story is about dreams, ambitions and regrets. It is vividly told from the POV of both MC’s. Esther and Amina’s relationship is complicated, although there is a bounty of love, pride got in the way of seeking the comfort they could have had from each other. Their relationship is dynamic, loving and complicated. The story explores the conflict that exists between ones dreams and the expectations that are placed on you from family and community. Amina’s daughter reuniting with Esther is heartwarming. The concept of home and its meaning is beautifully explored as your birth land, your family and within yourself.

This is a captivating story of family, community connection, and love. The spiritual aspects of the Yoruba religion and culture as well as the folklore add a distinctive depth and a unique blend of prophecy, destiny and free will. The prophecies of the sea shells at the beginning of each chapter were perfect and set the stage for each chapter. If you love complicated family tales and exploring other cultures this is the book for you.

The Edge of Water by Olufunke Grace Bankole is a beautifully written meandering through three generations of mothers and daughters.

The story unfolds through a series of letters which is effective since it allows the reader to see some of the same situations from different perspectives. I usually find letter formats a bit distracting, but here, the author skips the usual "Dear..." and "Regards," keeping me engaged. The storytelling felt more immediate and personal that way. The beginning of each one includes a reading by a fortune teller, such as, “shells in the shape of a wave.” It’s a really interesting way to bring in culture and set the stage.

The characters of the women are complex and their relationships with each other are fraught with the influences of tradition, culture, independence and dreams. They each have to deal with what is expected of them versus what they want; Ester’s (the grandmother) story in Nigeria is particularly harrowing, although Amina (the daughter) certainly has a difficult time as she navigates a new country before and during Hurricane Katrina as a single mother. Laila (the granddaughter) both suffers and benefits from the journeys of her foremothers. They are each stronger than they believe themselves to be, and ultimately brave enough to carve their own path.

My one small issue is a part of the story that talks about these several souls in the story that come together over and over again across time. While this adds to the folklore that is woven throughout the story, it didn’t resonate for me since it didn’t seem to have any real influence over the characters’ interactions or lead to any learned truths.

Overall, this is a moving story and fantastic debut by the author. I’m looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

Thank you to Tin House Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This was a very well written book! It was so touching and moving, the familial issues and struggles this family deals with is crazy. It is so heartbreaking, and the writing was so well done! I loved the cultural differences and similarities!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!