I was given the opportunity to review the second novel by Ghanaian-British novelist Nii Ayikwei Parkes.
Title: Azúcar
Author: Nii Ayikwei Parkes
Publisher: Peepal Tree Press
Publication Date: 8th June 2023
Description:
Emelina Santos is the great granddaughter of Diego Sonada Santos, head of the Fumazero family that produces the world famous Sonada Sun rice. During her first trip to her motherland for a family gathering, she visits a son-casino fiesta where Yunior – vocalist, face of the island’s most famous band, and closet agriculturalist – is invited on stage to sing. Their eyes meet, but Emelina is gone on the stroke of midnight, before he gets off stage.
Yunior is in fact a Ghanaian who arrived in Fumaz on a scholarship as a boy of 13, and never left. In the ensuing years, Yunior and Emelina travel separate journeys through history, music, myth and heartbreak, confronting the question of where they feel most at home.
My Thoughts:
This book made for a very interesting read. There are some beautiful descriptions within and I could quote heaps of them. But I will urge you to read the book instead. It is not a particularly long book but it has an intensity to the prose. There were moments that I found myself re-reading passages as I wanted to enjoy the words again.
Yunior and Emelina come from totally different backgrounds but their lives overlap and come together towards the end of the book. It is a really moving story, peppered with Spanish words. I loved the inclusion of music, food. The characters are warm and kind for the most part.
For me it is definitely a book I would like to re-read to absorb more. I’m also curious to explore the author’s other works.
Favourite quote:
It is the first time he has had both work and love to occupy him, he likes it, but it is all consuming.
p.90
I’m very grateful to have received a review copy in exchange for my unbiased thoughts.
Cathy Powell 