Cassava Republic Press has unveiled the cover for Yewande Omotoso’s upcoming novel An Unusual Grief, a story of self-discovery in the midst of grief. “But more than that, An Unusual Grief is a story showing us that in the midst of pain, we can and must remember joy and desire,” said the Cassava Republic Press statement.
How do you get to know your daughter when she is dead? This question takes Mojisola on a journey of emotional and sexual self-discovery.
When her daughter Yinka dies, Mojisola is finally forced to stop running away from the difficulties in their relationship, and also come to terms with Yinka the woman. Mojisola’s grief leads her on a journey of self-discovery, as she moves into her daughter’s apartment and begins to unearth the life Yinka had built for herself there, away from her family.
Through stepping into Yinka’s shoes, Mojisola comes to a better understanding not only of her estranged daughter, but also herself, as she learns to carve a place for herself in the world beyond the labels of wife and mother. A bold and unflinching tale of one woman’s unconventional approach to life and loss.
Yewande Omotoso, author of An Unusual Grief, trained as an architect. Her debut novel Bom Boy was shortlisted for the 2012 Sunday Times Fiction Prize in South Africa. Yewande was shortlisted for the 2013 Etisalat Prize for Literature. Her second novel, Woman Next Door, was longlisted for the 2017 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. In 2018, it was shortlisted for the International DUBLIN Literary Award and a finalist in the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Fiction. It has been translated into Catalan, Dutch, French, German. Italian and Korean. She currently lives in Johannesburg.
An Unusual Grief is avaialble for pre-order and out 12th October 2021.
