Harare Review of Books

I enjoyed everything I read this month (surprise!) for one reason or another, buuut:

• I found The Death of Vivek Oji x Akwaeke Emezi quite harrowing.
• I thought whiskey words & a shovel II x r.h. sin (poetry) was repetitive and very male gazey
• Night Sky with Exit Wounds is my second Ocean Vuong, and what breathtaking writing, but also very visceral for me 💔
• Whiteout Conditions x Tariq Shah, which I’ve just finished, whose climactic scene nearly made me stop reading the book to scream. Major CW there, esp for me. It’s such an interesting book, though, and what a build-up. Also, the main character is a bit….?!

Links to the rest (to be updated as-and-when)

• If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English x Noor Naga (wonderful structure! And, great story)
• Dele Weds Destiny x Tomi Obaro
• Report From Planet Midnight x Nalo Hopkinson. First Hopkinson, because diving in was overdue. I’m so pleased.
• Grief is The Thing With Feathers x Max Porter, a moving, moving book, which I decided to read because I’m grieving. What a beautiful ode. (Had to check if Max Porter’s wife is still alive, though, goodness.)
• The World As We Knew It x all of my fave authors lol