Bitter Honey

With a mother-daughter relationship at its heart, BITTER HONEY explores relationships, resilience, and what it means to fully wear your skin and carve your own space in this world. The first standalone novel from Lol i kanm ide is her most ambitious yet, spanning four decades and three continents.

Two women. Four decades. A lifetime of secrets.

1978: A scholarship draws Nancy from Gambia's warmth into Sweden's winter. When her friendship with charismatic scholar Lars blossoms into something more, she thinks she may have finally found her place. But there's more to Lars than his charming persona, and Nancy is about to discover the danger of being drawn into his world…

2006: Tina has had her taste of fame as the nation's Eurovision pop princess. But beneath her glittery façade, Tina is desperate to discover who she really is. Her mother, Nancy, seems desperate to keep the past under wraps, but will an unexpected figure help open the door?

'Lolá Ákínmádé crafts sharply written and deeply moving characters, raising brutal questions and steering clear of easy answers.' Taylor Jenkins Reid
'The queen of messy characters!' Onyi Nwabineli
'Bitter Honey is an urgent call for empathy, grace and understanding.' Glamour
'Ákínmádé is a master at shading the gaps between power and love.' Chika Unigwe
'[Bitter Honey] is a real tour de force. Akinmade is a gifted storyteller.' Gary Younge
'I loved BITTER HONEY... one of the best books Lola has ever written.' Kim Golden