Book Club Questions for Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite

If you’re anything like me, Cursed Daughters probably took you on a ride you weren’t fully prepared for — the humor, the heartbreak, the superstition, the generational drama… it’s a lot, in the absolute best way.

Oyinkan Braithwaite delivers a story that feels both wildly imaginative and painfully real, and it’s exactly the kind of novel that makes you want to sit down with a cup of tea (or honestly, something stronger) and talk it all out with other readers.

Here are 20 original discussion questions to help you dive deeper into the Falodun women, their tangled history, and the lingering question at the heart of the book: Can destiny truly be rewritten? Feel free to comment below if you have any questions or thoughts.

Book Club Questions

1. What was your first impression of Eniiyi, and how did it evolve as the story unfolded?
2. In what ways do Ebun, Monife, and Eniiyi represent different responses to trauma and expectation?
3. How did your feelings about Ebun shift as her motivations and past became clearer?
4. Do you feel Eniiyi and the boy she saves have a love that challenges the curse, or do they repeat old patterns in a new way?
5. Which character felt the most “haunting” to you—literally or emotionally—and why?
6. How does the novel explore the theme of identity, especially through the belief that Eniiyi is Monife reincarnated?
7. What does the generational curse symbolize for you: superstition, inherited trauma, societal pressure, or something else entirely?
8. The book blends modernity with mysticism. How did that balance shape your reading experience?
9. What role does silence—or secrets—play in the Falodun family’s history?
10. How does Lagos as a setting amplify the novel’s themes about culture, family, and fate?
11. How did the multi-perspective structure influence your understanding of the curse and each woman’s personal struggle?
12. Were there any moments when you thought the curse might actually be broken? What signaled hope—or doom—to you?
13. Did you find the pacing effective, especially with the short chapters and shifting timelines? Why or why not?
14. Which twist or reveal impacted you the most, and how did it reshape your perception of the story?
15. Do you think Monife’s tragic end could have been prevented, or was it inevitable within the world of the novel?
16. How does the novel portray the expectations placed on women within the family?
17. What does generational resilience look like in this story? How do the Falodun women cope, survive, and adapt?
18. In what ways does the novel challenge the idea of inheriting not only trauma but also destiny?
19. Do you feel Eniiyi ultimately frees herself from the curse, or does she simply create a new path within it?
20. How did the ending leave you feeling—hopeful, unsettled, satisfied, or somewhere in between? Discuss why.

Additional Recommendations

I hope you enjoyed diving into these book club questions for Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Here are some my recommendations that explore similar themes.

A Burning by Megha Majumdar

If you haven’t read Megha Majumdar’s debut A Burning yet, please — don’t wait. This one hit me right in the chest. It’s set in modern India and follows three characters — Jivan, a Muslim girl from the slums wrongfully accused of terrorism; PT Sir, a teacher desperate for political power; and Lovely, a transgender woman whose warmth and courage could save Jivan’s life.

What I love most about this book is how Majumdar captures the small, impossible choices ordinary people make when the world is stacked against them. It makes you question how justice and ambition can twist together so easily. And you’re left feeling for every single character, even when they make choices you don’t agree with.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

This book is absolutely stunning and the writing is so beautiful. It follows two people whose paths cross and drift apart across India and America, love and duty, family and freedom. Sonia’s an aspiring writer trying to shake off the ghosts of her past, and Sunny’s a journalist running from his family’s chaos — and when they find each other, it feels like fate, even as everything around them threatens to pull them apart.

I loved how intimate this story felt, even though it spans continents and generations. Desai has this magical way of making you feel the weight of love, which is not romantic love, but the complicated kind that ties families together even when you want to run the other way. She writes in a very human and honest way.

If you’re craving a story that’s lush, emotional, and deeply reflective — something that makes you feel both heartbreak and hope — this is the book to get.