“An Elegy for Easterly” by Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe)

Review

Readers loved this book describing it as one of the best collections of short stories they have ever read. They found the themes contemporary and accessible, and they liked the diverse accounts of life in Zimbabwe. With each story, some only a dozen pages long, readers felt they learnt so much about the protagonists that it was like getting to know them personally. They enjoyed the different points of view and felt that the author convincingly portrayed a wide range of characters: a poor woman, an old man, a rich woman, a diplomat, a student, a small girl. At times poignant and sad, some stories also had funny moments even if it was in the form of irony. Readers loved the style of writing and the author’s beautiful and, at times, lyrical use of language. They had difficulty choosing a favourite story as they found them all equally good. With an overall average of 9.5 out of 10, this book is highly recommended reading.

Synopsis

In her spirited debut collection, Zimbabwean author Petina Gappah brings us the resilience and inventiveness of the people who struggle to live under Robert Mugabe’s regime. Despite their circumstances, the characters in “An Elegy for Easterly” are more than victims; they are all too human, with as much capacity to inflict pain as they have to endure it… Read more

Season 11 – “Short Stories” (Feb – Jun 2010)

“Last Evenings on Earth” by Roberto Bolano (Chile)
“I Think of You” by Ahdaf Soueif (Egypt)
“Fascination” by William Boyd (U.K.)
“Runaway” by Alice Munro (Canada)
“Sightseeing” by Rattawut Lapcharoensap (Thailand) *

Extra book:
“An Elegy for Easterly” by Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe) 

* The book club favourite
In italics, Nicola’s Coup de Cœur