The Scent of Burnt Flowers, Blitz Bazawule
The Scent of Burnt Flowers, Blitz Bazawule
6 Rating(s)
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The Scent of Burnt Flowers

Author: Blitz Bazawule

Narrator: Dion Graham

Unabridged: 6 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/28/2022


Synopsis

Fleeing persecution in 1960s America, a Black couple seeks asylum in Ghana, but fresh dangers and old secrets threaten their newfound freedom in this hypnotic debut novel.

“I am truly blown away by this novel.”—Jacqueline Woodson, New York Times bestselling author of Red at the Bone

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: CrimeReads

When the windshield of his Chevy Impala shatters in a dark diner parking lot in Alabama, Melvin moves without thinking. A split-second reaction marrows in his bones from the days of war, but this time it is the safety of his fiancé, Bernadette, at stake. Impulse keeps them alive, and yet they flee with blood on their hands. What is life like now that they are fugitives? Pack passports. Empty bank accounts. Set their old life on fire. The couple disguise themselves as a pastor and a reluctant pastor’s wife who’s hiding a secret from her fiancé. With a persistent FBI agent on their trail, they travel to Ghana to seek the help of Melvin’s old college friend who happens to be the country’s embattled president, Kwame Nkrumah.

The couple’s chance encounter with Ghana’s most beloved highlife musician, Kwesi Kwayson, who’s on his way to perform for the president, sparks a journey full of suspense, lust, magic, and danger as Nkrumah’s regime crumbles around them. What was meant to be a fresh start quickly spirals into chaos, threatening both their relationship and their lives. Kwesi and Bernadette’s undeniable attraction and otherworldly bond cascades during their three-day trek, and so does Melvin’s intense jealousy. All three must confront one another and their secrets, setting off a series of cataclysmic events.

Steeped in the history and mythology of postcolonial West Africa at the intersection of the civil rights movement in America, this gripping and ambitious debut merges political intrigue, magical encounters, and forbidden romance in an epic collision of morality and power.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Michael on August 23, 2022

Nighttime Alabama in the 1960’s. Melvin and his fiancée stopped to eat at Otto’s. The place is not listed in the Green Book, the “Negro motorist’s bible” spelling out the safe roadside cafes, hotels, and gas stations for black people. As a result of taking a chance he ended up defending himself agai......more

Goodreads review by Danielle on May 27, 2024

Sad. Magic. Violent. Escape. 😕 This one has a lot going on. And I was a bit disappointed with its ending. 🤨......more

Goodreads review by BookOfCinz on April 16, 2023

Historical fiction set in Ghana and America with a dash of magic! Sign me up. It is 1960s in Ghana and Bernadette wakes up beside her fiancé Melvin, they are wanted in America and decided to flee and seek asylum. While on a road trip in Alabama Melvin got in an altercation with some white men, that......more

Goodreads review by Gabriella on December 23, 2022

Another disappointing entry in the diaspora return subgenre, which Michaela is also calling the Into Africa subgenre. It was funny reading this right after Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo, given the similarities between Onuzo's fictional president/country and Blitz Bazawule's fictionalized version of Nkru......more

Goodreads review by Emily on May 17, 2023

A taut drama that illuminates how impulsive decisions shape the course of our lives, and how the most incredible power is often hidden within ourselves. Through snapshots of memory and emotion, The Scent of Burnt Flowers portrays the long lasting effects of colonialism, through both a political and......more


Quotes

“The novel is by turns rollicking, romantic and solemn, always acutely aware of the historical forces shaping its characters’ destinies and fascinated with the culture shocks they experience as they move between continents.”—Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times

“Blitz Bazawule is a phenomenal storyteller. The Scent of Burnt Flowers is at once deeply real and surprisingly magical. I am truly blown away by this novel.”—Jacqueline Woodson, New York Times bestselling author of Red at the Bone

“Blitz Bazawule’s debut novel is so alive, so cinematic. I am thrilled to have fallen into this—a colorful, delicious ride through the senses and beyond; a tale of danger, love, and all the small, true things that will not be named.”—Yrsa Daley-Ward, PEN Ackerley Prize–winning author of The Terrible

“This story has magic, political conspiracy, and romance, along with the historical elements of the U.S. civil rights movement and Ghanaian colonization. It will appeal to readers of many genres who enjoy an eccentric cast of characters in a vibrant historical setting.”—Library Journal

“In a transportive debut set in the mid-1960s, Ghanaian artist Bazawule charts the fallout of the violent confrontation of an African American couple by a racist gang. . . . Bazawule nails the atmosphere, loading it with cultural details on everything from palm wine to Highlife music. It’s an engaging . . . period piece.”—Publishers Weekly