Generational Curses 

I was in high school when I first found out what a generational curse was. We were on the subject of adoption, and someone said that they probably wouldn’t do it because of generational curses.  A generational curse is a dysfunctional issue or bad omen that plagues a family for generations. It could be addiction, financial instability, relationship issues, or even inherited guilt from the actions of a family member from long ago. Whatever the case may be, the family is plagued by this issue until someone comes along and breaks the curse.  

The Curse 

The novel Cursed Daughters is about the Falodun family, and a generational curse that has plagued their family for generations. It began when a member of their family from generations prior, Feranmi Falodun, committed a deception. A beautiful woman, she set her eyes on a man that was visiting the town where she lived. She deceived him into sleeping with her and when everyone found out, according to traditional values, he was forced to marry her and take her on as a second wife. She was also pregnant with his child. He then left to go home to his first wife. However, they returned to the village where Feranmi lived with her child. The first wife then found out about Feranmi and her daughter. They engaged in a fight, but then the first wife used blood magic to place a curse on her and her family stating,  

It will not be well with you. No man will call your house home, and if they try, they will not have peace. Your daughters are cursed. They will pursue men, but the men will be like water in their palms. Your granddaughters will love in vain. Your great-granddaughters will labor for acknowledgment, but they will fall short of other women. Your daughters, your daughters’ daughters and all the women to come will suffer for man’s sake. 

Cursed Daughters 

When we begin the book, we are at Monife’s funeral. There’s a mystery as to how Monife died, especially at such a young age. In the same day that Monife is laid to rest, her cousin Ebun, gives birth to a daughter Eniyii. Eniyii’s birth, the circumstances that led to it, and much that follows her life is contentious, due to her looking just like Monife. Being born on the same day that Monife is buried, many believe she is a reincarnation of Monife, brought back to life through Eniyii.  

From Eniiyi’s birth on, the novel centers three generations of the Faloduns, a Yoruba family from Lagos, Nigeria, as they navigate the curse placed on their family and the ramifications of that curse. We get a first row look at the generational trauma that impacts the family because of this curse, starting with the mysterious circumstances surrounding Monife’s death. Each woman in the family (and Tolu) grapple with the curse in their own way, deciding to ignore the curse, work their way around it, or with a desire to break the curse altogether.  

Grandma West stays stuck in the past and resorts to juju in an effort to win back her husband that has abandoned her and her two children. Monife deals with the abandonment she feels from her father and figures out a way to break the curse. Grandma East resorts to using men for money, disregarding whether they are single or married. Ebun decides to decenter men altogether, keeping her pregnancy and the identity of her child’s father a secret from everyone in the family, including her daughter.  

We see the impact of these decisions on everyone and how some of the women come to respect or lose respect for one another regarding how they handle the curse. Much of their lives and the decisions they make centers on this curse, if they will have children, where they will live, and their beauty practices. Even the home they live in, a character in the story itself, has the curse built into its foundation, built by a male ancestor generations earlier to house all of the women in the family who get rejected due to the curse, to make sure they always have a home should their romantic status change suddenly.  

What I Didn’t Like 

The pace of the book toward the end made me feel overwhelmed as much of the story is revealed at that time and then it feels like it ends suddenly and the resolution at the end is supposed to be a nice bowtie to wrap it up, but honestly it left me with more questions than answers. I do wish more of what was revealed in the end had been revealed earlier in the book, but at a much steadier pace. 

What I Love 

I love the relatability of this novel. For anyone that comes from a dysfunctional family, or a family that has generational curses of their own, this is a great book. The chapters are marvelously short (sometimes just two pages). We are able to learn more about the story in bits and pieces as it jumps around in time to reveal more slowly and slowly as we find out the truth. We take a journey with Eniyii and the other members of the family as we learn more about lives through their specific actions. Each character is so strong and in learning about them we address issues as colorism, family dynamics, love, sex, tribalism, and changes through generations.  

The book is written in a way that we might be there with them. When Eniyii feels frustration, we do as well. When Tolu expresses anger, we understand it as well, when Monife experiences betrayal, we feel it too and in doing so it feels like we’re a part of the family too, we learn about each of the members in such an intimate way. It captures the nuances and complexity of what it is to be in relationship with others, especially when tradition, communal cultures, and generational differences collide.  

Feelings Overall 

I haven’t resonated with a book so much since I read The Color Purple by Alice Walker when I was 12- years-old. This was a pleasant read that I found by happenstance on a library book display case. I’m in love with this book because I’ve truly never read anything like it before and I would highly recommend it.