After the sudden death of her mother, London photographer Joy struggles to pull the threads of her life back together with the support of her kind but mysterious neighbour Mrs Harris.
Joys fortunes begin to change when she receives an unexpected inheritance from her mother: a huge sum of money, her grandfathers diary and a unique brass artefact from the ancient kingdom of Benin.
Joys search for the origins of the artifact takes us on a journey through time, and as dark family secrets come to light, Joy unearths the ties between her mother, grandfather, the wife of a king, a fearsome warrior, and the brass heads pivotal connection to them all.
Haunting and compelling, Butterfly Fish is a richly told story of love and hope, of family secrets, power, political upheaval, loss and coming undone.One of the most original and innovative writers to emerge in many a year.
Alex Wheatle MBEUnique and imaginative, Diana Evans, Orange prize winner
