Contemporary fiction
In Every Mirror She's Black
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This absorbing debut turns a mirror on modern-day Sweden to reveal the ins and outs of life for three Black women.
400+ pages
Multiple viewpoints
Tech world
Immigration
Successful marketing executive Kemi Adeyemi is lured from the U.S. to Sweden by Jonny von Lundin, CEO of the nation's largest marketing firm, to help fix a PR fiasco involving a racially tone-deaf campaign. A killer at work but a failure in love, Kemi's move is a last-ditch effort to reclaim her social life.
A chance meeting with Jonny in business class en route to the U.S. propels former model-turned-flight-attendant Brittany-Rae Johnson into a life of wealth, luxury, and privilege—a life she's not sure she wants—as the object of his unhealthy obsession.
And refugee Muna Saheed, who lost her entire family, finds a job cleaning the toilets at Jonny's office as she works to establish her residency in Sweden and, more importantly, seeks connection and a place she can call home.
Told through the perspectives of each of the three women, In Every Mirror She's Black is a fast-paced, richly nuanced yet accessible contemporary novel that touches on important social issues of racism, classism, fetishization, and tokenism, and what it means to be a Black woman navigating a white-dominated society.
My favorite novels always begin with the characters. Are they memorable and believable, can I hope and laugh with them, do they teach me something new? Of course, I'd like an interesting plot, realistic dialogue, beautiful sentences, but I'll forgive the lack of any of these for strong characters. What an absolute gift then, that in In Every Mirror She’s Black we don't lack for anything at all.
There are three protagonists in the novel: Brittany, a former model turned flight attendant; Muna, a refugee originally from Somalia; and Kemi, a Nigerian American marketing executive. All three are Black women, who have or will be making their way to Sweden from someplace else. And all three are connected via a fourth character, Jonny von Lundin, a wealthy business owner.
This is a book with scope. You follow these women over multiple years; you see them struggle with their careers, their love lives. You watch them adjust to Swedish society, and encounter both classism and racism, which take the form of incidents that run the gamut from creepily subtle to hideously direct. And it is clear from the start that these are three distinct women—their individual journeys deftly illustrating the simple truth that Black women and their experiences are not a monolith. Brittany, Kemi, and Muna have very different values. They make different decisions and different mistakes.
I left this book having been moved, educated, and entertained. It is thrilling, disturbing, mysterious, sexy, and above all, complex. Brittany, Kemi, and Muna will live in my head for a long time, and I don't think you could ask for anything more from a novel.
Ali M.
Dallas, TX
Normally books with multiple perspectives are confusing, but in this one, the author masterfully intertwined the characters’ integrity and experiences in a way that drove the book’s central theme home
Alex G.
Marietta, GA
OMG!! I just finished this book and I’m trying to pick my jaw up off the floor. It was a beautiful story of three women all on similar journeys, following completely separate path. The ending… WOW!!!
Daija S.
New York, NY
This story exceeded my expectations! To simultaneously write three distinct voices that rarely intersect shows the author’s mastery of both language and narrative. A story both relatable and educative
Madison B.
Novi, MI
This book was a great story of three different women & the struggles they faced in moving to Sweden. I thought this was extremely well written & captivating. Can’t wait to read more from this author.
Briana D.
Omaha, NE
I love this book. The focus on differences. How much society and people close to us have an effect on how we see the world. Just because people have something in common does not mean they are the same