Harare Review of Books

Towards the end of the year, most of us start reviewing the
resolutions we made at the start. Sometimes, on that list is a resolution to read more. Below, I have compiled a list of relatively short books (less than 250 pages) of all genres, to help you achieve that goal. I have also supplied links to my own reviews, where available.

Weather by Jenny Offill (208 pages)

Lizzie Benson is a librarian who is trying to hold on, and to hold the people around her together, as the world crumbles. This is a book about life in the middle of climate change, and in an increasingly unstable world. I enjoyed this book’s style and somewhat unusual subject.

A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa; translated by Daniel Hahn (245 pages)

Ludo is afraid of the world outside her flat, and afraid for
herself in a country that’s transforming dramatically. Set in Angola just before and through the Independence period, this book is wonderful magical realism. Ludo seals herself in her flat, and then very unlikely and entertaining
things happen. The book is also a commentary on the changes that happened in Angola at that time, and the differing motivations of the people who were there.

Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin; translated by Aneesa Abbas Higgins (154 pages)

An unnamed French-Korean woman is working at a guest house in Sokcho, while waiting for her life to change. Her mother worries that she is not married yet, and wants her to eat more. Her boyfriend is a narcissist. The guest house is rundown, and it’s winter. A French cartoonist comes to stay, and the young woman becomes involved with him. I believe this book is very much underrated; much is packed into very few pages. I recommended it highly.

No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood (210 pages)

A very cleverly written commentary on how we live our lives online while important things are happening offline, in real life. The first half of this book makes a lot of fun of the things we think are important as we scroll endlessly on social media (I laughed a lot). In the second half, though, the unnamed narrator has to face a crisis in her family that shifts her attention back to what’s important.

The Machine Stops by E. M. Forster (48 pages)

A classic, this short story, written in 1919, is about a future world where we’ve stopped being curious about life, and where everything is done for us by a machine (that appears to be a worldwide entity). It’s very reminiscent of our current internet age.

So Long A Letter by Mariama Bâ (90 pages)

Ramatoulaye, widowed, writes a letter to her old and close friend, detailing her struggles. This is a very short book, but a wonderful glimpse into women’s lives in West Africa. It was written in 1980.

How to Fly (in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons) by Barbara Kingsolver (128 pages)

If poetry is more your thing, I recommend this wonderful collection of thoughtful poems. I’m not a fan of modern poetry (which seems to me to mostly be one word spread out over two pages); this is, fortunately, nothing like that.

The Salt Fields by Stacy D. Flood (128 pages)

Minister Peters is leaving the South of the US for the northern states, where he hopes to make a new life, away from racism and the ghosts of his past. The train journey turns into something very unexpected. This is a very beautifully written story.

Know Your Dictators by Sipho Mudau (85 pages)

A fun and quick read about dictators from around the world.

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark (130 pages)

If you would like to escape into Egyptian fantasy, this is the book for you. Set in turn of the century Cairo (the early 1900s), magic and technology combine to create a very imaginative and memorable world.

Coffee: A Global History by Jonathan Morris (176 pages)

This short book details the history of coffee from the highlands of Ethiopia, through the Muslim world which created cafés as we know them, to your cup of coffee out of a machine this morning. It is a fascinating journey through the history of what feels like a very modern beverage.

No Be From Hia by Natasha Omokhodion-Banda (178 pages)

This reads like a much longer book, and is the history of a family over 3 generations, set in Zambia, Nigeria and London. If you’re reading around the world and one of your goals is to read a book from Zambia, this is the one I recommend.

Tropical Fish by Doreen Baingana (184 pages)

This award-winning book from 2005 is the story of Christine Mugisha and her family after the fall of Idi Amin. It is set in Entebbe, Kampala and Los Angeles. This is a very good book to get into Ugandan fiction-writing (some of the best on the continent).

Granma Nineteen and the Soviet’s Secret by Ondjaki; Translated by Stephen Henighan (192 pages)

Our young protagonist and a cast of eccentric characters (including a ghost!) work to stop the Soviets from destroying the row of houses they live in, near a beach in Luanda. This is delightful and light-hearted magical realism.

From A Low And Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan (192 pages)

Farouk, John and Lampy are three men whose stories are united by love and loss. I loved the structure of this short book with an emotional punch.

How To Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa (192 pages)

Winner of the 2020 Giller Prize, this is a collection of stories about Lao immigrants, stories which echo across immigrant experiences in general. A very even and emotional anthology.

Gone by Michael Blencowe (192 pages)

I highly recommend this if you’re looking for non-fiction. Blencowe details the extinction of various animals and birds in the last 500 years. This is a very sobering look at our impact on the natural world.

The Hunt For Mount Everest by Craig Storti (224 pages)

A rather fun book about the adventurers of Everest (or Chomolungma to the local Tibetans), and how Everest became the mountain of our imagination.

Temporary by Hilary Leichter (208 pages)

An entertaining and strange journey into the world of temporary work. Among the jobs the protagonist takes on are standing in for the Chairman of the Board, cleaning a closet full of shoes, and working on a pirate ship.

The Concubine by Elechi Amadi (216 pages)

The last book on my list is one that’s dense enough to feel like more than 216 pages. Ekwueme is in love with Ihuoma, who is married to Emenike when we first meet her. Through a combination of circumstances, Ekwueme and Ihuoma finally get together; but things, as you may expect, do not go well.