Blurb

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.

The book cover was designed by Leah Candace Jacobs-Gordon

An Unusual Grief is a stunning new novel by Yewande Omotoso, coming from Cassava Republic Press in October 2021.  The novel explores what grieving motherhood looks like when mother and daughter have been long estranged. Set in South Africa’s Johannesburg, An Unusual Grief follows Mojisola on a journey of self-discovery, as she begins to peel back the layers of her daughter’s life. 

Yewande Omotoso adeptly explores an older woman’s erotic awakening and experimentation, the struggles of motherhood and the many ways cultural expectations on women can create chasms that stretch across generations.

An Unusual Grief is the perfect read for lovers of Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun and Seasons of Crimson Blossoms.

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