Everything Is Not Enough

In this follow-up to her debut novel, In Every Mirror She Is Black, award-winning Sweden-based Nigerian American author and travel photographer Åkerström deftly continues an engrossing storyline that exposes the harsh realities of Swedish society. Navigating the social, financial, and legal intricacies of living as immigrants in Sweden proves to be challenging to three Black women in a multitude of ways. Somalian immigrant Yasmiin’s marriage is marred by the secrets of her past, which she is keeping from her husband. Brittany, a U.S. flight attendant, begins to doubt her wealthy husband’s true feelings and feels trapped by his obsessive behavior; knowing her in-laws’ racist views, she also fears for the safety of their young mixed-race daughter. Nigerian American marketing executive Kemi realizes that she was only hired to save the company from a diversity scandal, while a heated attraction to a work colleague leads to disastrous results in her personal and professional relationships. Yasmiin, Brittany, and Kemi must navigate society’s double standards, continue to be strong, and give themselves grace for their weaknesses and mistakes.