Lola Akinmade Akerstrom – författare

Spanning four decades and three continents, Bitter Honey is a story about a mother and daughter divided by long buried secrets, struggling to understand each other as they forge their own paths, from the internationally bestselling author of In Every Mirror She's Black.

1978: A scholarship draws Nancy from Gambia's warmth into Stockholm's frigid 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 Sweden's sweetheart pop princess, representing her country at Eurovision. But beneath her glittery facade, she's uncertain who she really is. Her mother, Nancy, seems desperate to keep the past under wraps, but will the unexpected appearance of Tina's fathera man she has long thought deadhelp open the door to self-discovery?

Nancy just wants to protect her daughter from making the same mistakes she did, but Tina longs for the freedom to mess up, knowing her mother will always be there to support her. The two women love each other unconditionally, but can they learn to trust each other as well?

This poignant novel delves deep into the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters and delivers a warm, heartfelt story of love, forgiveness, and women finding their voices.

PRAISE FOR LOLÁ ÁKÍNMÁDÉ:‘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'Ákínmádé hijacks your attention with her beautiful writing and well-drawn characters' HeatThe brilliant second novel from the acclaimed author of In Every Mirror She's Black follows three women as they try to navigate life, love, prejudice and privilege in Stockholm.Yasmiin cannot comprehend what the policeman is saying to her. Her friend in a coma? Attempted suicide? Discovering she’s listed as next of kin, Yasmiin looks to her friend’s past to try and understand her actions, uncovering fresh mysteries at every turn. All the while, her own life seems to be running off course…Kemi seems to have it all: a high-powered job, a beautiful flat, a loving boyfriend. So why doesn't she feel more settled? Unsure whether its homesickness, heartsickness or sick-and-tired-of-the-same-old-sickness, she embarks on a destructive path to try and change things up…Brittany-Rae doesn’t remember the woman she was before she met her husband Jonny. She knows she was an ambitious, confident go-getter, but now she’s faded into Jonny’s domineering shadow. And as she unearths disturbing secrets about her husband, she’s focused on only one thing: her daughter, Maya, and ensuring she is as far away from Jonny as possible…The three women’s lives begin to overlap in the most unexpected of circumstances. Is it possible that the answer to their problems – though it seems impossible – lie in one another’s hands?