Butterfly Fish

I read that this is the author’s first published book and I must say it’s a pretty impressive start. Her writing has lots of rich imagery that I really love to read, and a lot of surrealism (magical realism) in it that makes it super intriguing. I also appreciate how the author writes about trauma, although it could potentially be too much for someone who’s been through similar trauma and loss (e.g. the main character attempts suicide in the beginning of the novel and is psychiatrically hospitalized, and there’s a large focus on grief for the loss of her mother). It’s not a perfect novel (I know some readers might not like how it jumps back and forth between times and places), but I think it’s definitely worth a read.

I liked this book but it didn't seem like there was a connect between the story in Benin and the story in London. I also felt like there wasn't a resolution at the end. It felt like the story line lacked purpose some times. That being said her descriptive language and character development was really strong and I like that she portrayed mental illness as how the individual would experience it. I sometimes found how descriptive she was to be distracting and got a little lost. It was definitely something different.

BUTTERFLY FISH by Irenosen Okojie is a brilliantly unique first novel. I bought it spontaneously from a bookshop in London's Heathrow Airport this summer and I’m so glad I did.Butterfly Fish takes place in modern London, London in the 1980s, London in the 1970s, and 19th Century Benin (Nigeria), featuring the protagonist, her mother, and her grandfather. The language is absolutely beautiful, the protagonist, Joy, is heartbreakingly-relatable, and at times the novel is hilarious! In many parts, Butterfly Fish is what some would call speculative fiction or magical realism. For those who are not used to the genre, be sure to suspend your hold on reality so you can really enjoy the book!I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading Ms. Okojie's next book, Speak Gigantular.

Butterfly Fish is one of those rare books whose raw invention entices you in and cries out for a second reading. There are so many ideas and stories swimming in the novel that it is literally teaming, as if the book had tendrils reaching out from its pages, wiggling at you and reeling you back in, or sending you off down a new tributary of thought.Joy is the centrepiece of the novel. A British Nigerian born and living in London, Joy loses her sense of gravity when her mother dies. She inherits the diary of her grandfather and a bronze head. In the quest to understand her identity, other stories unfold: we learn about her mother and we follow some of the history of the bronze head that takes us back into the history of the Kingdom of Benin.Mental health and magic are driving forces that bend and shape reality to wonderful effect so that the magic of the witch doctor, the power of curses, the strength of being connected to the alternative sides of reality, breathe life into Joy’s journey with gritty, fairy-tale results.Though there are the occasional moments when I pause to wonder exactly what is going on, or how I moved from one scene to the next, these confusions are full of Okojie’s belief and trust in the reader and this creates a benign authority, one that gives the reader the pleasure of navigating her rich landscape that depicts with equal colour an African court and London’s East End. And these occasional moments are testaments to the complexity of Butterfly Fish, another of its strengths.I want to pick the book up again because I want to relive the characters’ experiences. Their lives are full of the muddiness of real life and this is why the story is so beautiful. Okojie’s language is lyrical and her outlook is generous in scope and attitude. Butterfly Fish is a delight. I thoroughly recommend it.

What a read, what an author. The words, images, the powerful narrative. Overwhelmed. Amazing narrative. Irenosen is going to be huge in the future, a very talented writer. I don't know how I'm going to do justice to this review. The voices are so lifelike and believable. Okojie has captured those old African voices. The Benin story is told as if from long ago almost as if through the ghost of Adesua. The setting, narrative, colour, description, is so realistic. I felt the warmth, the sun beating down, the fear, the metaphors and the craziness. And back in London, the slow deterioration of Joy's mental health sees a slow descent into madness but illustrated with such clarity. It's almost like three books in one, but the stories are inextricably linked.

Beautifully written! A very talented author... but this is the only reason I actually finished the book. The content was not for me: no character building, no real story, a lot ... a lot of dream-scenes and halucinations, unexplained mysteries and unresolved topics. I also found I hadto struggle through and a lot of steriotypes and deja-vues. I found it a disappointing read.

This book is a hugely impressive debut - the writing is simply wonderful and there is detailed scene setting and 'lure' in each of the different worlds created within the book. She manages to move seamlessly between the differently evolving stories and engaged me in each of them really effortlessly. Butterfly Fish demonstrates a huge imagination at work, backed up by a beautiful writing style. Read it!

Irenosen writes with a clear bold voice that leads you down paths which disorient you, choke you with unimaginable suffering and enlighten you with serene moments in the novel. Butterfly Fish was an amazing read, a otherworldly experience. I would highly recommend to anyone considering reading this - especially if you're into historical, contemporary, magic-realism fiction.