Book Rec: Cursed Daughters
If you’ve ever been hooked by a novel steeped in cultural texture from page one, or if the shadows and laughter from a story have ever clung to you long after the last page, then you will understand the appeal of Oyinkan Braithwaite’s November 2025 release, Cursed Daughters. This is a multigenerational saga where the personal and the collective both meet and collide in an emotionally piercing blend of family drama (inherited trauma and secrets), cultural beliefs and superstitions, sisterhood, and sharp, witty humor. Let’s just say, if you know, you know.
Perfect For Readers Who Appreciate
Fiction that explores the tensions between collective identities and individual desires
Imperfect mother-daughter relationships
Complex portrayals of Black womanhood and generational expectations
Humor that makes the emotional punches hit even harder
Stories influenced by folklore, cultural beliefs, superstitions, and unseen threads
Characters you will question, relate to, root for, sigh deeply with, and want to yell at
Books that entertain you with their sharpness, all while breaking your heart
Why This Story Resonates So Deeply
At the heart of Cursed Daughters lies a powerful exploration of what it means to be part of a collectivist culture. “Family” is not only a name, but rather a lifeline, lineage, responsibility, and force that can shape who you are long before you have a say in it. That might sound overwhelming to some, but to others, it can feel like having a built-in team for every challenge faced in life or an essential core identity they value even when it gets heavy. Braithwaite captures this in such a brilliant way, showing how love, expectations, traditions, and histories both wanted and unwanted, known and unknown, can ripple across generations and a shared household.
The blurb of Cursed Daughters focuses on one woman, but the story follows the alternating perspectives—told in parts at a time—of three women from the Falodun family who believe they carry a curse to never have a love that lasts or stays true. This may seem a bit silly, but it gets very serious very quickly as the story opens up with one of the women, Monife (“Mo”), drowning herself and her grief at Elegushi Beach. We then go back in time to discover the life and circumstances leading up to this tragedy and beyond with her, her sister-like cousin Ebun, and Ebun’s daughter Eniiyi (a daughter born on the same day as Mo’s funeral and who looks like a reincarnation of Mo). Each of these flawed, fascinating, and achingly human women wonders if they can change, ignore, embrace, fight against, or laugh in the face of the curse that was placed on their family long before. Through their cherished and painful entanglements in their Lagos and wider Nigerian community, and their very raw consequences, the story itself lets it be known that it is not here to hold back or apologize.
Each chapter becomes an intimate space for Black womanhood—from the romantic disappointments to the family betrayals, sacrifices, laughs, and the ever-present supernatural unease. Whether the characters believe in the curse or remain skeptics, its metaphorical and literal weight presses on their lives in unforgettable ways.
To Fellow Readers from Collectivist Cultures
You’ll find plenty in this story to relate to if you know what it’s like for your entire family to have a say in how you live. Even raising your own child or cutting your hair can become a group decision. Just thinking about that probably has you laughing and shaking your head right now.
Maybe you’ve heard “Who are you calling ‘you people’?” more times than you can count, or you’ve wondered whether speaking your mind to your parents or elders is worth risking your life. Obligations and emotional blackmail undoubtedly run rampant in your multigenerational home, hopefully mixed with loads of love and care. And, surely, dreams are treated as warnings, languages are switched like second nature, and mental and emotional health aren’t always handled in ways Western or individualistic cultures would call “healthy.”
If that sounds like your world, dear reader, then that is another reason to go snatch up this book.
You can also gift it to your mother, recommend it to your aunt, and discuss it late into the day with your sister or cousin. Laugh together, fume through the pages, and make peace with the many truths that you will find.
Where To Find More
Learn more about the author of Cursed Daughters at ttps://oyinkanbraithwaite.co.uk/about/
Buy Cursed Daughters from your local bookstore or online in our Bookshop
Isabelle Felix is a psychology research and therapy assistant turned editor, beta/sensitivity reader, and author coach. The passion to reach out and understand another person’s perspective has led her to work with Big Five Publishers, NY Times and USA Today best sellers, Big Apple Film Festival screenwriting finalists, International Leaders of Scenario Planning consulting firms, and writers who are still getting used to putting themselves and their stories out there. So, whichever stage the writer is at, Isabelle is always thrilled to meet them there. | Work with Isabelle