A powerful, thought-provoking collection of stories.

By the time I’d finished reading this collection of dark and often extremely disturbing short stories I felt I’d not only gained huge insights into the challenges faced by each of the characters, but also gained a deeper understanding of conditions in Zimbabwe. The author used his well-drawn characters to effectively explore the many examples of racism (both institutional and ‘casual’), prejudice, bigotry, oppression, misogyny, discrimination, sexism, political corruption, social and educational disadvantage which people from the Zimbabwean diaspora are having to contend with. As each story is told through the prism of passionate, forceful and often angry language, pulling no punches about the realities of the experiences being faced by the characters, it’s impossible to read them without gaining a greater understanding of what it must feel like to have to face these challenges. Whilst it is, of course, impossible to be able to ‘walk a mile’ in another person’s shoes, I found that the author’s intensely powerful storytelling helped me to gain greater empathic insights, something I always appreciate in my reading experiences. However, because of the frequently heart-wrenching nature of the stories, I needed to take a break between them in order to process my thoughts and feelings about them, as well as to reflect on the fact that my ability to step back is not something individuals facing these real-life challenges ever has the ‘luxury’ of doing … a salutary reminder indeed.
My thanks to the author for sending me a signed copy in exchange for an honest review. I know that the impact of these stories will stay with me for a long time and I have no hesitation in recommending this important collection to anyone who is both open to gaining new insights into different cultural experiences, and to being prepared to examine their own assumptions and prejudices.