This Mournable Body A Novel
This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga, published by Graywolf Press on August 7, 2018, is a novel that explores the challenges faced by women in Zimbabwe. The story follows Tambudzai, who, after leaving a stagnant job, navigates life in a rundown youth hostel in Harare. As she grapples with her grim financial situation and societal expectations, her journey leads her to a widow’s boarding house and a position as a biology teacher, where she encounters a series of humiliations that starkly contrast with her aspirations.
In This Mournable Body, readers will find a poignant examination of the disillusionment that can arise from both personal and national struggles. The narrative delves into themes of survival and the impact of colonialism and capitalism on individual lives. As Tambudzai’s circumstances force her back to her parents’ impoverished homestead, the story culminates in a moment of betrayal, highlighting the complexities of her reality. This edition contains 304 pages and is presented in English, offering a deep and thought-provoking look at the intersection of personal and societal challenges.
Official synopsis Publisher
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 BOOKER PRIZE
A searing novel about the obstacles facing women in Zimbabwe, by one of the country’s most notable authors
Anxious about her prospects after leaving a stagnant job, Tambudzai finds herself living in a run-down youth hostel in downtown Harare. For reasons that include her grim financial prospects and her age, she moves to a widow’s boarding house and eventually finds work as a biology teacher. But at every turn in her attempt to make a life for herself, she is faced with a fresh humiliation, until the painful contrast between the future she imagined and her daily reality ultimately drives her to a breaking point.
In This Mournable Body, Tsitsi Dangarembga returns to the protagonist of her acclaimed first novel, Nervous Conditions, to examine how the hope and potential of a young girl and a fledgling nation can sour over time and become a bitter and floundering struggle for survival. As a last resort, Tambudzai takes an ecotourism job that forces her to return to her parents’ impoverished homestead. It is this homecoming, in Dangarembga’s tense and psychologically charged novel, that culminates in an act of betrayal, revealing just how toxic the combination of colonialism and capitalism can be.
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