About the book
Winner of the BOCAS Prize for Fiction 2023
Winner of for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award 2023
Shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize 2023
Shortlisted for the McKitterick Prize 2023
Shortlisted for the Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award 2023
Longlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2023
'BELIEVE THE HYPE' Stella
'A searing symphony of magic and loss, love and hope' Marlon James
'A mesmerising love story, achingly tender' Bolu Babalola
Darwin is a down-on-his-luck gravedigger, newly arrived in the Trinidadian city of Port Angeles to seek his fortune, young and beautiful and lost. Estranged from his mother and the Rastafari faith she taught him, he is convinced that the father he never met may be waiting for him somewhere amid these bustling streets.
Meanwhile in an old house on a hill, where the city meets the rainforest, Yejide's mother is dying. And she is leaving behind a legacy that now passes to Yejide: the power to talk to the dead. The women of Yejide's family are human but also not - descended from corbeau, the black birds that fly east at sunset, taking with them the souls of the dead.
Darwin and Yejide both have something that the other needs. Their destinies are intertwined, and they will find one another in the sprawling, ancient cemetery at the heart of the island, where trouble is brewing...
Rich with magic and wisdom, When We Were Birds is an exuberant masterpiece that conjures and mesmerises on every line. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo weaves an unforgettable story of loss and renewal, darkness and light; a triumphant reckoning with a grief that runs back generations and a defiant, joyful affirmation of hope.
'Exceptional' Jacob Ross
'Exquisite' Avni Doshi
'It's a knockout, and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo is a star' Niven Govinden
'When We Were Birds marks the emergence of a distinctive and powerful voice' Pat Barker, author of The Silence of the Girls
Editions of When We Were Birds
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780241991633
- EBook
- ISBN 9780241991640
Read an Excerpt
Winner of the BOCAS Prize for Fiction 2023
Winner of for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award 2023
Shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize 2023
Shortlisted for the McKitterick Prize 2023
Shortlisted for the Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award 2023
Longlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2023
'BELIEVE THE HYPE' Stella
'A searing symphony of magic and loss, love and hope' Marlon James
'A mesmerising love story, achingly tender' Bolu Babalola
Darwin is a down-on-his-luck gravedigger, newly arrived in the Trinidadian city of Port Angeles to seek his fortune, young and beautiful and lost. Estranged from his mother and the Rastafari faith she taught him, he is convinced that the father he never met may be waiting for him somewhere amid these bustling streets.
Meanwhile in an old house on a hill, where the city meets the rainforest, Yejide's mother is dying. And she is leaving behind a legacy that now passes to Yejide: the power to talk to the dead. The women of Yejide's family are human but also not - descended from corbeau, the black birds that fly east at sunset, taking with them the souls of the dead.
Darwin and Yejide both have something that the other needs. Their destinies are intertwined, and they will find one another in the sprawling, ancient cemetery at the heart of the island, where trouble is brewing...
Rich with magic and wisdom, When We Were Birds is an exuberant masterpiece that conjures and mesmerises on every line. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo weaves an unforgettable story of loss and renewal, darkness and light; a triumphant reckoning with a grief that runs back generations and a defiant, joyful affirmation of hope.
'Exceptional' Jacob Ross
'Exquisite' Avni Doshi
'It's a knockout, and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo is a star' Niven Govinden
'When We Were Birds marks the emergence of a distinctive and powerful voice' Pat Barker, author of The Silence of the Girls
Frequently Asked Questions
What is When We Were Birds about?
Winner of the BOCAS Prize for Fiction 2023
Winner of for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award 2023
Shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize 2023
Shortlisted for the McKitterick Prize 2023
Shortlisted for the Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award 2023
Longlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2023
'BELIEVE THE HYPE' Stella
'A searing symphony of magic and loss, love and hope' Marlon James
'A mesmerising love story, achingly tender' Bolu Babalola
Darwin is a down-on-his-luck gravedigger, newly arrived in the Trinidadian city of Port Angeles to seek his fortune, young and beautiful and lost. Estranged from his mother and the Rastafari faith she taught him, he is convinced that the father he never met may be waiting for him somewhere amid these bustling streets.
Meanwhile in an old house on a hill, where the city meets the rainforest, Yejide's mother is dying. And she is leaving behind a legacy that now passes to Yejide: the power to talk to the dead. The women of Yejide's family are human but also not - descended from corbeau, the black birds that fly east at sunset, taking with them the souls of the dead.
Darwin and Yejide both have something that the other needs. Their destinies are intertwined, and they will find one another in the sprawling, ancient cemetery at the heart of the island, where trouble is brewing...
Rich with magic and wisdom, When We Were Birds is an exuberant masterpiece that conjures and mesmerises on every line. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo weaves an unforgettable story of loss and renewal, darkness and light; a triumphant reckoning with a grief that runs back generations and a defiant, joyful affirmation of hope.
'Exceptional' Jacob Ross
'Exquisite' Avni Doshi
'It's a knockout, and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo is a star' Niven Govinden
'When We Were Birds marks the emergence of a distinctive and powerful voice' Pat Barker, author of The Silence of the Girls
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in When We Were Birds?
Fiction > Fantasy > Magical realism
Where can I read a sample of When We Were Birds?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780241991633
Who is/are the Author/s of the book When We Were Birds?
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
When We Were Birds is available as paperback(ISBN 9780241991633) and ebook(ISBN 9780241991640)
Where can I buy When We Were Birds online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy When We Were Birds from below
Where can I buy When We Were Birds?