"Bernadette awoke to the sound of a loud blast and thought Melvin had shot himself,” opens the novel.
On the book cover is a mysterious looking figure with black skin and piercing blue eyes.
The moment I read the book title, I knew that this was a book that I wanted to add to my “Read” shelf and I am glad I did so. Blitz Bazawule is known in many realms for his work as a rapper, filmmaker, and visual artist.
In 2022 he became a novelist with the release of his book, “The Scent of Burnt Flowers.”
“The Scent of Burnt Flowers” tells a rich and enthralling story about an engaged couple (Bernadette and Melvin) who are on the run from a harrowing incident which took place in Alabama.
They disguise themselves as a pastor and a pastor’s wife, pack their bags, abandon the world they know and set out for Ghana to seek help.
Melvin does not only want to seek help from anybody, he is going straight to find the nation’s leader; President Kwame Nkrumah. Melvin and the President were friends from college.
As they land in Ghana, fate brings them to Kwesi Kwayson, Ghana’s greatest highlife musician who is on the road to see Nkrumah, so begins the journey of intrigue, magic, lust and mystery. Bernadette and Melvin are not without forces working against them though, hot on their heels is the FBI Agent Hughs who is determined to catch them and bring them to book as soon as possible.
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From the beginning, readers are sure to become invested in the story of the young couple that is seeking to run away from their misfortune.
Bazawule’s writing reads almost like a movie and is quick to get through; his writing is so precise and makes sure that each word counts.
The story takes places in the space of about two-hundred and thirty pages which makes it a quick read for regular readers.
“The Scent of Burnt Flowers” also pays homage to Bazawule’s home country, Ghana. Through the various circumstances that the characters go through, we are given a walk through the world of Ghana in the 1960s which was a very eventful and trying time for the nation.
For instance, he shows his characters enjoying palm wine and listening to High Life music which are all staples of Ghanaian culture.
Ghanaian folklore and mythology are also mentioned in the book specifically Mami Wata, a mythical being popular in Western African who is associated with water.
As an African reading the book, Bazawule’s mention of African folklore was moving and cathartic because I come from a nation that has a rich folklore which is often not celebrated. Other elements in the book that hit home for me were how he portrayed the post-independence environment in Ghana and corruption as a cancer whose seeds spread throughout the nation.
As Melvin, Bernadette and Agent Hugh journey through Ghana, they find that people’s hands need to be ‘greased’ to achieve one’s goal.
The book also has elements of political intrigue and this is best portrayed by Agent Hughs who is hot on the track of the fleeing couple. Hughs has a dark story of his own and as he navigates Ghana, he comes across elements of espionage that are at play in the politically fragile Ghana. The book also discusses international relations and how Ghana’s leadership influenced its global standing. Historical figures are also brought into the story; Kwame Nkrumah and General Kotoka are featured in the book. For enthusiasts of African history like myself, one will be aware that both of them were instrumental political figures in Ghana in the 1960s.
I have been a fan of Bazawule’s work for a while and one thing that stands out for me is the emphasis on magical realism; he did it in his directorial debut ‘The Burial of Kojo’ and his direction of ‘Black is King’, the novel is not spared!
Magical experiences occur throughout the book such as flowers emerging from a strummed guitar, encounters with otherworldly beings and an army of shape shifters.
All of these elements add intrigue, mystery and excitement to the book but are also a beautiful display of the writer’s imagination and a celebration of the magical tales that have always existed on the African continent.
The story is more plot driven than it is character driven. I enjoy a good book that puts me knee deep into the psyche and mess of other human beings; this book did not give much space for characters to shine through in my opinion though given the length of the book and the number of interesting characters he played around with, Bazawule does so successfully.
The characters are all distinct and outstanding in their own way.
Through the book, we learn that plans do not often go as planned, the fragility of human connection and the often-unspoken influence of mythical beings on our lives. This is a good read for lovers of contemporary African fiction and historical fiction. Though the story is set in the 1960s and jumps between Ghana and the United States, the story feels timeless, modern and transferable to other parts of the continent.
About the reviewer
Kudzai Mhangwa is a poet, author and humanitarian. His body of work includes poetry, plays, short stories, essays and children's literature. He is the recipient of the 2021 Intwasa Short Story Prize and was shortlisted for the fifth Warian Kuri Prize for Children's Literature. In 2023 he was nominated for the Nama for Best Fiction for his contribution to the short story collection Intwasa Short Stories: Volume Two. In 2023 his first solo publication, Moments in the Private Room was released under Carnelian Hearts Publishing.
