Set in South Africa over three decades, this is the story of a family in decline. When their mother dies, three siblings return home, a place of complicated feelings and relationships. Their mother extracted a promise from their father to give a house to their black housekeeper, and this unkept promise plagues the family for many years. This was a slow burn for me; a dark, bleak, character study and reflection on the complicated changes in South Africa.
A truly beautiful, tiny book reflecting on Adichie’s father and her grief at his loss during 2020. As one of my fathers died just before the pandemic, and the other in March 2020, I related to the strangeness of loss at this time, and from a distance. Deep thinking, raw emotion, lyrical writing; a worthwhile book to read at any life stage.
This is a story told in two parts; 1960s Uganda where Hasan is dealing with the loss of his wife and changes to his place in society with Idi Amin’s regime, and current day London where Sameer is trying to find the balance between his high-powered law career, his family’s expectations and his deeper hopes. It’s about the impact of the expulsion of East-Asians from Uganda, racism, family ties, belonging, and love. I found it lush and atmospheric, thought-provoking and hopeful.
Edna O’Brien travelled to Nigeria, and did a great amount of research into the abduction of the girls from their school, by Boko Haram, and this is the fictional result. We experience the extraordinary atrocities with Maryam, and her struggles to find a place for herself and her baby, once they escape. I found it hard going, as it was so horrific, and there was very little hope, even once they were free. The writing style was interesting, dispassionate, spare, and as a result it wasn’t greatly affecting, but it will stay with me.
A lot folktale, a little science fiction, Remote Control is set in Ghana, possibly in the near future. Fatima loves to write ‘sky words’ at the base of her backyard Shea tree, and one day is sent a special seed in a shower of meteors, which changes everything and sees her travelling Ghana as the adopted child of the Angel of Death. Extraordinarily imaginative, perceptive about humanity, gentle, and yet powerful.
Having read both Nervous Conditions and The Book of Not, many years ago, I was keen to revisit Tambudzai and see what she was up to. Well, nothing good I’m afraid. The years have been unkind, and all of the promise of Tambu’s youth has come to nothing. She so desperately wants the success she feels owed, and struggles to get by. Life is hard in Zimbabwe, especially for women, and terribly complicated. This is a complex book, pretty bleak, sometimes hard to understand, and sad, but thought provoking, clever, and moving.
Majok Tulba’s earlier novel, Beneath the Darkening Sky, was about a boy forced to be a soldier in South Sudan’s rebel army. This book is the story of a boy too young for the rebels, who saw his town destroyed by the government, and was sent on a dangerous journey to a refugee camp. It is a moving look at a way of life lost in South Sudan, the horrors endured, including those within the refugee camp, and the deep bonds of friendship formed under these circumstances.
I already loved Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which, sometimes, is too much pressure for a new book. Thankfully, this book only confirmed my opinion. Set in America and Nigeria, this is a story about race, identity, home and love. I loved the writing, the journey of the characters, the time spent in Nigeria and was fascinated with the details about hair and being a non-American black person.
The Binti trilogy finished with Binti dealing with the war between the Khoush and Meduse people. Loyalty is tested, identity is constantly changing, and Binti must find strength beyond imagining to save her people, and her friends. This series is extraordinarily imaginative; and world-building is its focus. If you read more for character or plot, you may not find this is for you, but it has a deep sense of place, and is full of wondrous, vibrant, out of this world detail.
Another great African/Australian adventure from Tony Park, this time with an historical element. An Australian man is approached by a South African journalist about one of his ancestor’s time in South Africa, and German South West Africa, now Namibia, around the time of the Anglo-Boer War. He becomes involved in a dangerous mystery, and both the modern and historical storylines are full of action, intrigue, historical detail, and romance. Fast paced, with twists and turns, and a lot of fun.
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