The Bibliophiles' Emissary

Author : Chinelo Okparanta Genre : Short Story/Anthology My Rating : 4.5 Stars Year of Publication : 2013 Number of Pages : 196 SUMMARY In these exquisite stories, Chinelo Okparanta introduces us to families burdened equally by the past and the future. Here, we meet a childless couple with very different desires, a college professor comforting a troubled student, a mother seeking refuge from an abusive husband, and a young woman waiting to join her lover abroad. High expectations consume them. Nigeria defines them. ' Her clear, elegant use of language and exploration of family life, migration and love are refreshing and distinctive. '- Diva ' Happiness is like water,' she says.'We're always trying to grab onto it, but it's always slipping between our fingers. ' page 144 MY VERDICT I'm obsessed with short stories now, even though they leave me aching for more. I love how they prompt me to conjour up crazy conclusions about what bec

Author : NoViolet Bulawayo Genre : African Literature/Fiction My Rating : 4 Stars Year of Publication : 2013 Number of Pages : 304 SUMMARY Darling and her friends live in a shanty called Paradise- which of course is no such thing. It isn't all bad, though. There's mischief and adventure, games of Find bin Laden, stealing guavas, singing Lady Gaga at the tops of their voices. They dream of the paradises of America, Dubai, Europe, where Madonna and Barack Obama and David Beckham live. For Darling, that dream will come true. But, like the thousands of people all over the world trying to forge new lives far from home, Darling finds this new paradise brings its own set of challenges- for her and also for those she's left behind. MY VERDICT I came across the first chapter of this book, which is titled 'Hitting Budapest', whilst reading the Caine African Prize for Writing 2011. Check out my review of that here . Initially I thought the story odd, because I