By Megan Thomas
When I got the opportunity to review this for Buzz Magazine, I just couldn’t resist. I mean, between the title, and the somewhat jarring fact that it’s a series of short stories about life in Zimbabwe and the associated diaspora… There’s only so much my curiosity can handle. Naturally, the short story called Whatever Happened to Rick Astley is the last in the collection and it wasn’t even my favourite story, but I’m grateful for it because it was clearly the hook I needed.
The stories cover a time span of around 20 years, from the turbulent hyperinflation that started in the late nineties, to the modern day, where most people know of at least one person who has emigrated. Each story shows a snippet from the lives of a truly mixed bag of characters, but all of them in some way reflect the different, unequal ways people live in countries like Zimbabwe, where the impact of colonialism is felt long after independence.
As a South African living in the UK, I drew a lot of parallels to my own ‘expat’ experience from the stories. My experience is, by and large, one experienced by a tiny percentage of South Africans – as is the case with a lot of these Zimbabwean stories. It is a real financial privilege to be able to pack up and move to another country. That said, I think there is something for everyone to relate to: from the people who get left behind to the people who regret leaving, from the people who should never have been there to the people being asked to leave despite never knowing anywhere else, from the people who want to leave but can’t to the people who would never consider leaving.
These stories reflect the myriad of conflicting emotions associated with living in a country where simultaneously the majority live in poverty, while the others sit in their sprawling gardens and discuss their friends’ and children’s lives on other continents: hope, disappointment, loyalty, loneliness, insecurity, self-doubt, pride, and so much love.
BUY THE BOOK: Waterstones | Foyles | Amazon
Disclaimer: I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please get in touch if your preferred online platform is not listed here – I’ll see what I can do!
Read more short story collections:
Have You Read This 