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The Sweetest Remedy by Jane Igharo

Contemporary fiction

The Sweetest Remedy

Repeat author

Jane Igharo is back at Book of the Month – other BOTMs include Ties That Tether.

by Jane Igharo

Excellent choice

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Quick take

An unexpected loss leads a young woman on a soul-searching journey to reconnect with Nigerian family and find herself.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Romance

    Romance

  • Illustrated icon, Family_Drama

    Family drama

  • Illustrated icon, International

    International

  • Illustrated icon, Quest

    Quest

Synopsis

Hannah Bailey has never known her father, the Nigerian entrepreneur who had a brief relationship with her white mother. Because of this, Hannah has always felt uncertain about part of her identity. When her father dies, she's invited to Nigeria for the funeral. Though she wants to hate the man who abandoned her, she's curious about who he was and where he was from. Searching for answers, Hannah boards a plane to Lagos, Nigeria.

In Banana Island, one of Nigeria's most affluent areas, Hannah meets the Jolades, her late father's prestigious family—some who accept her and some who think she doesn't belong. The days leading up to the funeral are chaotic, but Hannah is soon shaped by secrets that unfold, a culture she never thought she would understand or appreciate, and a man who steals her heart and helps her to see herself in a new light.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of The Sweetest Remedy.

The Sweetest Remedy

Hannah

San Francisco

Hannah stepped into the bustling room and knew she had made a mistake.

A huge mistake.

She should have stayed home. Instead, she was at a fancy cocktail party packed with some of San Francisco’s finest.

Her best friend, Flo, was already sipping a drink and chatting with a bald-headed gentleman—probably some Silicon Valley tycoon she wanted to snag as a client for her real estate firm.

This was the only reason Flo came to these sorts of events, and usually, she dragged Hannah along on the promise they would have a good time. But now, Hannah was alone and watching a man maneuver around a waiter and approach her with a haughty, overstated gait that seemed like a desperate plea for attention.

“Hey. I’m Blaine.” He flipped his blond hair from his suntanned face and grinned with the confidence of a man well aware of his Ryan Gosling–esque appearance. “And you have to be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

The most beautiful woman. Hannah suppressed a snort. Did men ever tire of doing that—spitting lies and cheap lines at women as if they were items and the currency for purchasing them was deceit? Get your woman here, she imagined an enthused merchant at a bazaar saying, two shining lies for one pretty woman. Hannah presumed her father had done the same to her mother—spun the sweetest lies and the slickest pickup lines—right before he knocked her up and took off.

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Why I love it

When I first read The Sweetest Remedy, I told Jane Igharo that the book would have readers calling their families, updating their wardrobes, and looking for their passports. Igharo’s sophomore novel is a transportive story that takes readers around the world and into the arms of a big, complicated, and lovable family.

When Hannah’s estranged father dies, she finds herself on her way to Nigeria to mourn the man she never knew alongside the relatives she’s never met—and who have mixed feelings about her presence. In the chaos leading up to the funeral, Hannah gets to know the Jolade family, experiencing resentment, friendship, and belonging along with a romantic relationship with a close family friend. As Hannah begins to learn the full story of her father, she learns it’s one of old mistakes, new misunderstandings, and years of lost moments to make up for. Igharo’s twists and surprises will keep you turning pages.

I loved reading about how Hannah navigated complicated relationships and how all the characters experienced grief, love, and surprises that shook their foundations. Igharo’s characters are vibrant, and she’s crafted them in such a way that they feel both like glamorous celebrities and also like my own siblings and cousins. In that way, this read is comforting. Even in the middle of the tension and conflict, the sense of family is always there, because ultimately that’s what The Sweetest Remedy is about: the family we know, the family we find, and the family we are yet to meet.

Member ratings (4,731)

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Contemporary fiction
View all
The Last Love Note
What Does It Feel Like?
Anita de Monte Laughs Last
The Wedding People
Honey
The Leftover Woman
The Same Bright Stars
Bye, Baby
Swan Song
The Days I Loved You Most
The Connellys of County Down
Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life
Jackpot Summer
Adelaide
The Collected Regrets of Clover
Again and Again
Evil Eye
Black Cake
Maame
Romantic Comedy
Someone Else’s Shoes
Once There Were Wolves
We Are the Brennans
The Bad Muslim Discount
What Comes After
Olga Dies Dreaming
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel
Monster in the Middle
Nine Perfect Strangers
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes
Honey Girl
In Every Mirror She's Black
Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?
Sankofa
The Unsinkable Greta James
The Love of My Life
The Five-Star Weekend
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
The Wishing Game
Behold the Dreamers
The Mothers
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
Little Fires Everywhere
The Music Shop
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
The Reckless Oath We Made
Dear Edward
When We Were Vikings
The Girl with the Louding Voice
A Good Neighborhood
Big Summer
All Adults Here
Happy & You Know It
Friends and Strangers
The Comeback
True Story
The Last Story of Mina Lee
Troubles in Paradise
White Ivy
This Close to Okay
The Chicken Sisters
The Prophets
In a Book Club Far Away
The Other Black Girl
Apples Never Fall
A Quiet Life
We Are the Light
The Most Likely Club
The Fortunes of Jaded Women
When We Were Bright and Beautiful
The Hotel Nantucket