“I Think of You” by Ahdaf Soueif (Egypt) Review Readers were delighted with this collection of short stories which they really enjoyed reading. They loved the language and the style of writing that gave a clear voice to each of the narrators bringing them vividly alive. They liked the descriptions of the situations the characters find themselves in and the author’s use of minor details … Continue reading I Think of You
“Nervous Conditions” by Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Book Club Favourite of Season 10 Review From the opening sentence, readers were carried along by the story of Tambu and her family, especially the other female characters in her life, namely her mother, her uncle’s wife Maiguru, her cousin Nyasha and her mother’s younger sister Lucia. … Continue reading Nervous Conditions
“The Attack” by Yasmina Khadra (Algeria) Book Club Favourite of Season 9 Review Readers found the book very powerful, describing it as compelling, fascinating and incredibly well written. The story is told solely through the eyes of Amin, though in his encounters with the different characters from both sides of the conflict, readers felt that they got a balanced view of the situation. They found … Continue reading The Attack
“Ancestor Stones” by Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone) Favourite Quote Have you ever wondered what it is that makes people do terrible things? I have. Since that day, I have set my mind to it many times. (…) So, where does it come from, the fury? A thousand indignities, a thousand wrongs, like tiny knife wounds, shredding a person’s humanity. In time only the tattered remnants … Continue reading Ancestor Stones
“Half of a Yellow Sun” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria) Synopsis In 1960s Nigeria, three lives intersect. Ugwu works as a houseboy for a university professor. Olanna has abandoned her life of privilege in Lagos to live with her charismatic lover, the lecturer. And Richard, a shy Englishman, is in thrall to Olanna’s enigmatic twin sister. Amongst the horror of Nigeria’s civil war, loyalties are … Continue reading Half of a Yellow Sun
“Second-Class Citizen” by Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria) Review Most readers enjoyed the book, finding the story very touching and inspiring. They liked the protagonist Adah whom they found both naïve and strong. The descriptions of her life, first in Nigeria growing up, then in London as a young mother and wife, were realistic and effective. The secondary characters were both funny and horrendous at times. Readers … Continue reading Second-Class Citizen
“Matigari” by Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenya) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Synopsis Who is Matigari? Is he young or old? Dead or living… or even Jesus Christ? These are the questions asked by the people when a man who has survived a war for independence emerges from the mountains. Matigari is in search of his family, the rebuilding of … Continue reading Matigari
“Sleepwalking Land” by Mia Couto (Mozambique) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Extract and Comment It isn’t the story which fascinates him, but the spirit within it. And listening to Tuahir’s dreams, with the noises of war in the background, he begins to think: they should invent a gentle, more affable gunpowder, capable of exploding men without killing them. … Continue reading Sleepwalking Land
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