First published 2020
Tambudzai lives in a deteriorating youth hostel in downtown Harare, her dreams of financial and social restoration crumbling around her. After abandoning a dead-end job, she faces an uncertain future that bears no resemblance to the life she once imagined for herself. Each step she takes to regain the status she worked toward throughout her youth seems harmless enough, but these choices slowly strip away the dignity of both her family and her community. The stark gap between her expectations and her daily reality pushes her toward despair and a critical turning point. Zimbabwe's most prominent author delivers a psychologically charged exploration of how colonial legacies and capitalist forces continue their toxic influence on individual lives and entire societies.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, african-literature, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Harare, Zimbabwe
Period: contemporary
376 pages · Paperback · Faber and Faber
Content warnings: colonialism