I love how 'Love in Colour' uses retellings to flip the script on traditional romance tropes. So many classic love stories—especially in Western canon—are built on the same old foundations: princesses needing rescue, love at first sight, or grand, sweeping gestures. Babalola’s approach feels like a breath of fresh air because she takes these universal themes of love and connection but roots them in narratives that haven’t had nearly enough spotlight. It’s not just about representation; it’s about reinvention.
Think about how she handles agency in these stories. Characters aren’t just passive recipients of love; they’re active, flawed, and deeply human. The retellings work because they honor the original tales while making them feel personal and immediate. Like, when she adapts the Ghanaian legend of Anansi, it’s not a distant fable—it’s a story about wit, charm, and the messy reality of relationships. That’s the magic of it: these aren’t museum pieces. They’re living, breathing stories that speak to now.
Retellings in 'Love in Colour' do something subtle but revolutionary: they make myth feel intimate. Romance often gets stuck in the same cycles—meet-cutes, misunderstandings, happily-ever-afters—but Babalola’s stories stretch beyond that. By drawing from folklore, she taps into something primal about storytelling: the way myths shape how we understand love, sacrifice, and desire. And because these are traditions many readers might not know, there’s this thrill of discovery woven into every page.
What sticks with me is how the book balances reverence and playfulness. Some retellings are lush and poetic; others crackle with modern dialogue and sly humor. That range keeps it from feeling like homework. Instead, it’s like sitting down with a friend who’s sharing their favorite stories—ones that just happen to have been passed down for generations. It’s a reminder that love, in all its forms, is the oldest story there is.
The choice to center 'Love in Colour' around retellings feels like such a brilliant move. By reimagining myths and folktales from African, Middle Eastern, and other global traditions, Bolu Babalola isn’t just retelling stories—she’s reclaiming and refreshing them. There’s something powerful about seeing familiar narratives, often dominated by Eurocentric perspectives, rewritten with Black love and joy at the forefront. It’s not just about diversity for the sake of it; it’s about expanding the very idea of what romance can look like, grounding it in cultures that have been sidelined in mainstream literature.
What really gets me is how these retellings don’t just feel like a nod to the past—they’re alive, vibrant, and utterly modern. Take the way she reworks the Yoruba myth of Osun into a contemporary love story. It’s not just a lesson in mythology; it’s a full emotional experience, with all the humor, tension, and swoon-worthy moments you’d expect from a great romance. The book makes these tales feel urgent, like they’ve been waiting for this moment to shine. And honestly? They deserve it.
2026-03-19 18:52:39
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If you’re into the anthology format of 'Love in Colour', try 'Freshwater' by Akwaeke Emezi. It’s not a romance, but its exploration of identity through Igbo spirituality is breathtaking. For pure romance with cultural depth, 'The Henna Artist' by Alka Joshi offers a lush, vibrant setting and a love story that feels organic. These books all share that blend of tradition and modernity, heart and heritage, that made 'Love in Colour' so special to me.