Lola Akinmade Åkerström returns to literary fiction with Bitter Honey, a powerful multigenerational epic that spans four decades, weaving together the interconnected lives of mothers and daughters caught between cultures, dreams, and harsh realities. Building on the foundation established in her acclaimed debut In Every Mirror She’s Black, Åkerström delivers a more intimate yet equally ambitious narrative that explores themes of identity, sacrifice, and the complex inheritance passed between generations of women.
The Architecture of Memory: Dual Timeline Mastery
Nancy’s Journey: From Promise to Disillusionment (1978-1986)
The novel opens in 1978 with Nancy Ndow, a brilliant young Gambian woman arriving in Stockholm on a scholarship, carrying her family’s dreams of her becoming “Madame President” someday. Åkerström’s portrayal of Nancy’s initial optimism is both heartbreaking and beautifully rendered—here is a woman with genuine political aspirations, intellectual curiosity, and the kind of fierce determination that should have propelled her to greatness.
Nancy’s relationship with her anthropology professor, Lars “Lasse” Wikström, begins as an intellectual mentorship but evolves into something far more complicated and ultimately destructive. Åkerström’s handling of this power dynamic is particularly skillful, showing how Lars’s knowledge of Nancy’s language and culture becomes both a seductive bridge and a tool of manipulation. The author doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable realities of how cultural fetishization can masquerade as genuine appreciation and love.
The most devastating aspect of Nancy’s story is watching her dreams systematically dismantled. What begins as a promising academic career derails as she becomes pregnant with Tobias, then later Tina, while Lars continues his double life with his Swedish wife Frida. Åkerström captures the slow erosion of Nancy’s ambitions with painful precision, showing how each compromise and sacrifice moves her further from the woman she intended to become.
Tina’s Struggle: Fame, Identity, and the Weight of Secrets (2006-2016)
Twenty-eight years later, we meet Tina Wikström at her moment of Eurovision triumph—and spectacular failure. Åkerström’s portrayal of the pop music industry feels authentic and unforgiving, particularly in her depiction of how quickly fame can turn to infamy. Tina’s decision to transform her upbeat pop song “Honey” into a raw, emotional ballad on the Eurovision stage becomes a powerful metaphor for her desperate need to be seen and heard as more than just a performing object.
The author’s exploration of mixed-race identity in Sweden is particularly nuanced. Tina’s struggles with her appearance—the freckles and red hair inherited from Lars, the “fire crotch” taunts from classmates—reflect larger questions about belonging and acceptance in a society that often sees her as perpetually foreign despite her Swedish birth and upbringing.
Character Development: The Art of Flawed Humanity
Nancy: A Study in Survival and Sacrifice
Nancy emerges as one of the most complex protagonists in contemporary literary fiction. Åkerström avoids the trap of making her either purely victim or villain, instead presenting a woman whose choices—while often frustrating—feel psychologically authentic. Nancy’s emotional distance from Tina, her fierce protection of Tobias, and her ultimate inability to fully love herself or trust others stem from deep trauma that the author unveils gradually.
The relationship between Nancy and her daughter forms the emotional core of the novel. Nancy’s struggle to see past Lars in Tina’s features—those honey-colored eyes that serve as a constant reminder of her greatest heartbreak—creates a tragic dynamic that affects both women profoundly. Åkerström’s handling of this mother-daughter relationship is both heartbreaking and deeply realistic.
Lars: The Charming Manipulator
Lars Wikström represents a particularly insidious type of predator—the cultural colonizer who uses his academic knowledge and linguistic skills to gain access to and ultimately exploit the women he claims to love. Åkerström’s portrayal of Lars is masterful in its subtlety; he’s never an obvious villain, which makes his manipulation all the more effective and disturbing.
The revelation that Lars had Malik deported by planting drugs—destroying Nancy’s one chance at genuine love—demonstrates the depths of his selfishness and control. Yet Åkerström resists making him a caricature, showing his genuine feelings for Nancy alongside his inability to sacrifice his privileged position for their relationship.
Supporting Characters: A Rich Tapestry of Humanity
The novel’s supporting characters feel lived-in and authentic, from Uncle Leif’s complex sacrifice in claiming Tina and Tobias as his own, to Sebastian’s journey from vulnerable teenager to Tina’s anchor, to the various figures who populate Nancy’s world in Sweden. Each character serves both plot function and thematic purpose, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected lives.
Cultural Authenticity and Historical Context
The Immigrant Experience in Sweden
Åkerström’s portrayal of the African immigrant experience in Sweden from the 1970s onward feels authentic and well-researched. The microaggressions, the cultural isolation, the complex dynamics of interracial relationships—all are handled with sensitivity and insight. The author’s own multicultural background brings authenticity to these depictions that might feel forced or studied in less experienced hands.
The novel’s exploration of how Sweden’s progressive self-image can coexist with deep-seated prejudices is particularly effective. The contrast between the country’s official multiculturalism and the reality of characters like Mr. Torbjörn—the aging veteran who befriends Nancy but still carries racist assumptions—creates compelling tension.
Historical Events as Narrative Scaffolding
In “Bitter Honey,” the author skillfully weaves major historical events into the personal narratives, from the 1981 attempted coup in Gambia that leads to Malik’s disappearance, to the assassination of Olof Palme that triggers Tina’s premature birth, to the Arab Spring protests that help Tina find her voice as an activist. These events never feel forced or superficial but rather provide meaningful context for the characters’ personal struggles.
Writing Style and Technical Craft
Lyrical Prose with Emotional Depth
Åkerström’s prose is lyrical without being overwrought, capturing both the beauty and brutality of her characters’ experiences. Her descriptions of Sweden’s changing seasons, the warmth of Gambian culture, and the glittering artifice of the music industry all feel vivid and authentic. The author has a particular gift for sensory details that ground readers in specific moments and places.
The shifting perspectives between Nancy and Tina are handled seamlessly, with each character having a distinct voice and worldview. The author’s decision to structure the novel in parts rather than strictly alternating chapters allows for deeper immersion in each character’s story while building toward their inevitable convergence.
Symbolism and Metaphor
The central metaphor of honey—bitter honey—works on multiple levels throughout the novel. It represents the false sweetness of Lars’s promises, the complicated inheritance he leaves his children, and ultimately the transformation of something meant to nourish into something that poisons. Åkerström uses this imagery effectively without overexplaining or belaboring the symbolism.
Thematic Depth and Social Commentary
The Price of Dreams Deferred
One of the novel’s most powerful themes is the cost of abandoning one’s dreams for love or security. Nancy’s transformation from aspiring “Madame President” to home healthcare worker represents not just personal tragedy but also a broader commentary on how systemic inequalities can derail even the most promising individuals.
The parallel between Nancy’s abandoned political ambitions and Tina’s struggle to find her artistic voice creates a compelling generational echo. Both women must ultimately learn to reclaim their agency and pursue their authentic selves rather than the roles others have imposed upon them.
Intergenerational Trauma and Healing
The novel’s exploration of how trauma passes between generations is particularly sophisticated. Nancy’s inability to fully love Tina doesn’t stem from lack of caring but from deep psychological wounds that have never properly healed. The author shows how patterns of emotional distance and protection can repeat across generations until someone makes the conscious choice to break the cycle.
Critical Analysis: Strengths and Areas for Growth
What Works Brilliantly
The novel’s greatest strength lies in its emotional authenticity and cultural specificity. Åkerström writes from lived experience, and it shows in every detail—from Nancy’s navigation of Swedish bureaucracy to Tina’s experience of being mixed-race in the music industry. The author’s refusal to provide easy answers or neat resolutions feels mature and realistic.
The character development is exceptional, particularly in the way Åkerström allows her protagonists to be flawed without being unsympathetic. Nancy’s coldness toward Tina could easily read as cruel, but the author provides enough context to make it heartbreaking instead.
Minor Criticisms
While the novel’s scope is generally a strength, some sections feel less fully developed than others. Tina’s time in Los Angeles, while important for her character development, occasionally reads as less vivid than the Swedish and Gambian sections. The Jonas Jonsson subplot, while thematically relevant, sometimes feels disconnected from the main narrative thrust.
Additionally, some of the later time jumps feel slightly rushed, particularly the resolution of Tina and Sebastian’s relationship and Nancy’s final confrontation with Frida. These important emotional beats might have benefited from more space and development.
Comparative Context and Literary Merit
Building on Previous Work
Bitter Honey represents a clear evolution from Åkerström’s debut In Every Mirror She’s Black. While the earlier novel was more explicitly focused on contemporary racial dynamics in Sweden, this work takes a longer historical view and deeper psychological approach. The author’s confidence in handling complex narrative structures and multiple perspectives has clearly grown.
Literary Companions
Readers who appreciated the multigenerational scope and cultural complexity of novels like Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi or Pachinko by Min Jin Lee will find much to admire in Bitter Honey. The novel also shares thematic DNA with works like Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in its exploration of African characters navigating predominantly white Western societies.
The Resonance of Truth: Final Reflections
Bitter Honey succeeds because it refuses to simplify the complex realities of love, identity, and survival across cultures and generations. Åkerström has created a novel that feels both specifically Scandinavian and universally human, exploring themes that will resonate with readers regardless of their cultural background.
The novel’s final sections, where Nancy and Tina begin to understand each other and their shared history, provide genuine emotional catharsis without falling into sentimentality. The author’s decision to end with possibility rather than resolution feels appropriate for a story that has been honest about the messiness of real life throughout.
“Bitter Honey” is a novel that stays with readers long after the final page, raising questions about the prices we pay for love, the dreams we sacrifice for security, and the possibility of healing even the deepest wounds. Bitter Honey establishes Åkerström as a major voice in contemporary literary fiction, capable of handling complex themes with both intellectual rigor and deep emotional intelligence.
