Harare Review of Books

58 pages.

First published in 2021.

Finished reading on May 3, 2021.

Genre: Dystopian Fiction.

Jimalo is a young man in a dystopian and mythical post-coup Zimbabwe, with negotiable morals and simple needs. He leaves the city of Harare with his money snake to conduct urgent business with an ancient river God in Kariva. All around them, green shadows loom and threaten their mission. All the duo wants is to kiya kiya and enjoy nice things, like the winners in the Republic. To kiya kiya though, as Brother David reminds Jimalo, is to summon the consequences of encounters with ghosts, gods, girly girls and grim guardians who move in mysterious ways.

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Full disclosure: Mr Mudzingwa is my friend 😄

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In for some Zimbabwean horror/ spec fic, in the tradition of Zimbabwean folk tales? Jimalo’s got your back with his adventures over the course of a day and a bit in a Zimbabwe where corruption and greed have turned the sun green.

As a result, he became the first to cast a green shadow and all who saw it shook their heads in disgust and exclaimed, “Hiiiiii,” with mouths open and hands on their hips.

I laughed and “mxm”ed way through this one. There are loads of sly in-jokes (look out for them!) and ridiculous scenarios. The book also manages a commentary on the struggles of daily life in Zimbabwe (and I got quite morose at some point, to be quite honest, when I remembered how many roadblocks I had to get through, once, between Vic Falls and Harare, and the shakedown at each one. We’ve been through a lot 😭).

So, while it’s hilarious (and I worry for my friend’s mind), in some ways this book is also painful. Don’t let that stop you from enjoying it, though! There are really outstanding characters that will stay with you for a while (I mean, Forearms?! 🤣). The filthy corners do their bit, too, as promised. The book is a fun addition to Zimbabwean bookshelves, and to Mr Mudzingwa’s oeuvre.

You can find it on Amazon here.

Rated: 8/10, and thanks for the laughs, Farai.

Mild CW for some unsettling events and a rather toxic relationship.