and Jane Link

Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström’s fiction debut is unputdownable. A unique blend of commercial and literary fiction that feels like a tragedy, In Every Mirror She’s Black braids together the stories of three women—career-driven Kemi, ex-model Brittany, and refugee Muna—to explore what it means to be a Black woman in Sweden. In this interview, Ákínmádé Åkerström talks freely about her difficult journey to publication.

How has the novel been received in Sweden?

We’ve yet to find a Swedish publisher, but it’s just a matter of time before it comes out here. I live in Sweden and I write about this country for several publications. I do love living here, but I am also a Black woman living here and my novel challenges Nordic society’s idea of itself as progressive. There’s a one-dimensional image of Sweden which is being upheld, when in fact it’s a very multi-cultural, multi-dimensional place. But I think that’s just one of the many reasons why the book was rejected over 70 times. It sits somewhere between literary and commercial fiction, and there aren’t many imprints catering to the in-between market. It centres Black women in such a mainstream, commercial way that a lot of the gatekeepers felt white women wouldn’t manage to connect with it.

The three women—Kemi, Brittany, and Muna—are divided by class, ethnicity, and lifestyle, but they all know what it means to be a Black woman in white society. How do you see these three stories in dialogue?

I wanted to tackle class, career, and culture. I wanted people to see that even though these three are navigating different spaces with different levels of privileges, they’re also feeling the same things: isolation and exclusion. I used to visit an asylum centre for newly arrived refugees as part of a photography project where I met many people like Muna. With Brittany, I wanted to show the kind of Black woman that’s tired of being strong and serving others. She just wants to be taken care of. Kemi is the stereotypical strong, successful Black woman who is very career-driven. I wanted to show her making mistakes and also wanting to be taken care of, particularly emotionally. I’ve had non-black readers say they could only really connect with Muna. The fact they can only connect with the always-suffering Black woman and not the Black woman who is tired of surviving speaks volumes.

As the only two Black women running in a white circle, one might expect Brittany and Kemi to become good friends. Why didn’t you want their lives to intersect?

White people think all Black people are friends. It doesn’t work that way. Think about it! These three women are all in very different socio-economic classes. Brittany is married to one of the wealthiest men in Sweden. There’s no way she and Muna would be girlfriends, or even interact in an organic way. Kemi might recognise and greet Muna in the hallways at work, but that would be the extent of it. Kemi is the type of successful Black woman who judges Brittany for using her beauty to get ahead. Black women are not a monolith. We’re just not. We don’t all have the same values, experiences, desires, so forth.

In Every Mirror She’s Black centres Black women in such a mainstream, commercial way that a lot of the gatekeepers felt white women wouldn’t connect with it.

Each of these women ultimately faces a tragic, devastating end. Why did you choose to write sadness when so many crave stories about joy?

I am a joyful person! But I needed to write a book that reflected reality. Being a Black woman in the US, even though the US is crazy, has its privileges. I love living in the Nordics and I’ve contributed a lot to the society through taxes and such, but I don’t have the same opportunities as others. There’s a concrete ceiling. Certain spaces are still not available to Black women in Europe. Where is the European Oprah Winfrey? Where are the European Black women CEOs? There are still many spaces that are closed off to us, even when or perhaps especially when we’re the smartest people in the room. And that’s especially true for refugees in the Nordics. It’s one thing to publicly bring these people in. It’s another to then hide them away in the corner of society and make them second-class citizens. Most people want to have a purpose in life and make a useful contribution, even if they are working in what people call menial jobs. Muna loved being a janitor, and she did the job masterfully. It wasn’t that I just wanted to write a depressing story; I wanted to write a valid story that would ring true for many. Even the strongest have a breaking point.

In Every Mirror She’s Black weaves in so many intersecting socio-political issues without ever spreading itself too thin. What advice would you give to writers?

The publication journey was rough and that was because I stayed true to my voice. I knew what I wanted to write, even though I sometimes worried about how it might be received. Even if it takes longer, it’s worth waiting to find the right editors who are not going to change your writing. One of Sweden’s largest publishers was interested in the book, but they wanted me to cut the more striking scenes and tone my voice down. I declined because that’s exactly why I wrote it in very simple prose. The book has a certain intensity that makes you want to keep reading. As a travel writer, I am more used to writing in a literary style but with this story, I wanted to create something direct and precise. I wanted you to feel and get emotional. I didn’t want to hide their struggles behind flowery language.

International bestselling author, keynote speaker, and award-winning travel photographer LOLÁ ÁKÍNMÁDÉ ÅKERSTRÖM has photographed and dispatched from 80+ countries for various publications including National Geographic, BBC and CNN. Her book, Due North, received the Lowell Thomas Gold Award for Best Travel Book, and she is also the author of international bestselling LAGOM: The Swedish Secret of Living Well available in 18 foreign language editions. Her latest internationally-acclaimed novel In Every Mirror She’s Black, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick and Amazon & Apple Editor’s Pick, was published as a lead hardcover around the world through 4 publishers (including German, 2023). Film/TV rights are represented by UTA. Find her on Twitter @LolaAkinmade.

JANE LINK is the founder of bigblackbooks. She is also a publishing professional holding two master’s in literature from The University of Edinburgh and SOAS. Find her on Twitter @verybookishjane.

In Every Mirror Black by Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström
Published by Head of Zeus on 28 October 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Womanism, Afropean
Pages: 416

Three Black women are linked in unexpected ways to the same influential white man in Stockholm as they build their new lives in the most open society run by the most private people. Successful marketing executive Kemi Adeyemi is lured from the U.S. to Sweden by Jonny von Lundin, CEO of the nation's largest marketing firm, to help fix a PR fiasco involving a racially tone-deaf campaign. A killer at work but a failure in love, Kemi's move is a last-ditch effort to reclaim her social life. A chance meeting with Jonny in business class en route to the U.S. propels former model-turned-flight-attendant Brittany-Rae Johnson into a life of wealth, luxury, and privilege—a life she's not sure she wants—as the object of his unhealthy obsession. And refugee Muna Saheed, who lost her entire family, finds a job cleaning the toilets at Jonny's office as she works to establish her residency in Sweden and, more importantly, seeks connection and a place she can call home. Told through the perspectives of each of the three women, In Every Mirror She's Black is a fast-paced, richly nuanced yet accessible contemporary novel that touches on important social issues of racism, classism, fetishisation, and tokenism, and what it means to be a Black woman navigating a white-dominated society.