It’s not for nothing that In Every Mirror She’s Black was selected as a Love Reading Star Book and a Debut of the Month. The three Black women whose stories blaze the pages of this brilliant novel are guaranteed to grab your undivided attention - their struggles, their desires, their varied, complex paths, the obstacles they’re forced to navigate.

Being a powerful page-turner that addresses big themes in nuanced, engaging ways - racism, tokenism, patriarchal structures, class privilege, family bonds, fractured family bonds, the migrant experience, hope, desire, how Black women from all backgrounds are unjustly judged - In Every Mirror She’s Black is also the ideal novel for book groups to dig deeper into. Talking of which, here are some questions to kick start your discussions. 

1. Discuss the significance of the title. How does it capture the novel’s themes and characters’ experiences? Consider in relation to each of the three protagonists.

2. The author has stated that “I wanted Kemi, Brittany and Muna to be free of having to carry the weight of society or their individual cultures simply because they are Black”. Discuss the respective weights these characters bear. Consider if and how they each transcend them.

3. How did you feel when Brittany met Jonny for dinner? Were you surprised she changed her mind?

4. What does the novel reveal about masculinity? Discuss in relation to Jonny, Jamal (Brittany’s ex), and Yagiz (Muna’s boss).

5. How did you feel when Kemi was offered the role of Director of Global Diversity and Inclusion? Was it driven by tokenism, or by a genuine desire to be inclusive, representative, and to avoid creating harmful, stereotypical marketing campaigns? 

6. What does the novel reveal about contemporary workplaces? Consider this in relation to each of the three characters, and in relation to class, race and the nature of the work the three women do.

7. “I’m not stupid…I’m not afraid of you.”

“You should be afraid. You work for me”.

Consider this exchange between Muna and her boss. What does it reveal about the plight of refugees? What does it reveal about power structures more generally? Consider in relation to gender and class.

8. Discuss Muna’s joy at seeing a “Black African sister” occupying an important role in her workplace, a sight that “made her heart swell” and gives her hope. What does this reveal about the refugee experience? What does it reveal about class, sisterhood and humanity?

9. Commenting on Swedish media, Muna notes that “Khat chewed by immigrants was less forgivable than cocaine sniffed by Östermalm’s upper-class whites”. Does such hypocrisy ring true in your own country? What other examples of hypocrisy does the novel lay bare?

10. “Muna stood rooted as she watched her greatest fear materialize - their already fragile sisterhood beginning to fracture.” Discuss the role male characters play in dividing women. 

11. “Your idea is crazy…me as a model for Bachmann shoes? I would never wear those shoes.” What does Jonny’s initial response to Kemi’s marketing campaign reveal about him? What does Kemi’s campaign concept reveal about her marketing talent and personality? What does Jonny’s subsequent embrace of her idea reveal about him? Discuss her colleagues’ negative response to the idea, and their shift when their client applauds her plan.

12. How did you feel when Brittany accepted Jonny’s marriage proposal? Discuss the conflicts and doubts she feels, and her family’s concerns.

13. Discuss familial reactions to partner choices portrayed in the novel, such as Tobias’ mother’s response to him bringing home a Black girlfriend, Brittany’s father’s response to meeting Jonny, and Jonny’s family’s reactions to meeting Brittany. 

14. Were you surprised by Antonia’s revelations about Jonny? Did they change your opinion of Jonny or his family?

15. Though the three women have very different backgrounds, heritages, experiences and personalities, does anything unite them? Why might the author have chosen to only have them appear together in one scene? Why did she choose to have Kemi insult Brittany? Why did Khadiija tell Muna “You’re not my sister”?

16. At the end of the novel, how did each woman’s circumstance leave you feeling? How expected (or unexpected) were they? Why do you think the author chose these three paths for her protagonists?

17. How does the author make her characters believable? What did you think of the writing style?

December 2020: Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam

January 2021: Victoria Park by Gemma Reeves

February 2021: Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden

March 2021: Barn Club by Robert J Somerville

April 2021: Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller

May 2021: The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman by Julietta Henderson

June 2021: Erringby by Gill Darling

July 2021: Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

August 2021: Daylight Come by Diana McCaulay

September 2021: History by Miles Jupp

October 2021: Men Don’t Cry by Faïza Guène

If you want even more book club recommendations, browse our selection here.