Where the Dead Brides Gather, by Nuzo Onoh

Bata, an 11-year-old girl tormented by nightmares, wakes up one night to find herself standing sentinel before her cousin's door. Her skin, hair, and eyes have turned a dazzling white colour, which even the medicine-man can't heal. Her cousin is to get married the next morning, but only if she can escape the murderous attack of a ghost-bride, who used to be engaged to her groom.

Through the night, Bata battles the vengeful ghost and finally vanquishes it before collapsing. On awakening, she has no recollection of the events. And when the medicine-man tries to exorcise the entities clinging to her body as a result of her supernatural possession, Bata dies on the exorcism mat.

There begins her journey. She is taken into Ibaja-La, the realm of dead brides, by Mmuọ-Ka-Mmuọ, the ghost-collector of the spirit realm. There she meets the ghosts of brides from every culture who died tragically before their weddings; both the kind and the malevolent. Bata is given secret powers to fight the evil ghost-brides before being sent back to the human realm, where she must learn to harness her new abilities as she strives to protect those whom she loves.

I’m honestly not sure how to put into words how this book made me feel, so I’ll just be honest.

It made me cry.

Nuzo Onoh has managed to describe both the experience of being a child on the verge of womanhood, and also as a traveller between worlds. The deep honesty of Bata’s story is touching on a human level (even if I, as a mid-40s white British woman, cannot relate specifically to her experiences!), because death is the one guarantee in life that we all must face. Western culture has largely forgotten this, so when it comes, we find it difficult to process. This tiny Nigerian girl shows not only how we can face that final mystery, but also how it affects us as part of female life experience.

For yes, this is women’s story. Be it little girl, bride-to-be, bride-who-never-was or wife and mother (including those brides who are male), these are shown to be experiences that transcend borders, be they geographical or spiritual. From the crazy, often nonsensical familial and social politics of the ‘real world’, to then seeing truths and trying to understand after experiencing the sisterhood (and its warped alternative) in the Otherworld, Bata’s story struck a chord with me as I remembered walking similar paths myself as a youngster, and then as a wife, divorced and then married again.

This is a beautiful morality tale and true heroine’s journey as Bata battles to find her power. I learnt enough of Nigerian legend to inspire me to seek out more, and I love that a quick-witted girl can take on the power of a great goddess… and then return to her (rather hapless but very realistic!) family.

‘Where the Dead Brides Gather’ is an experience, marvellously told and which I shall absolutely be returning to again. I’m beyond grateful to the author for sharing such an adventure, reminding us to see the common ground between womanfolk and those who’ve gone before.