THE MEMORY OF LOVE
Aminatta Forna
Adrian Lockheart is a psychologist escaping his life in England. Arriving in Freetown in the wake of civil war, he struggles with the intensity of the heat, dirt and dust, and with the secrets this country hides. Despite the gulf of experience and understanding between them, Adrian finds unexpected friendship in a young surgeon at the hospital, the charismatic Kai Mansaray, and begins to build a new life just as Kai makes plans to leave. In the hospital Adrian encounters an elderly and unwell man, Elias Cole, who is reflecting on his past, not all of it noble. Recorded in a series of notebooks are memories of his youth, the optimism of the first moon landings, and the details of an obsession: Saffia, a woman he loved, and Julius, her fiery, rebellious husband. As their individual stories entwine across two generations in a country torn apart by repression and war, some distances cannot be bridged. The Memory of Love is a towering tale of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, superbly realised and beautifully written, horrifying and exhilarating, unflinching and tender, moving and uplifting. It is the story of four lives colliding; a story about friendship, about understanding, absolution and the indelible effects of the past; about journeys and dreams and loss, and about the very nature of love.
Bloomsbury, paperback, 9781408804247 (April)
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COME SUNDAY
Isla Morley
Abbe Deighton is a woman who has lost her bearings. Once a child of the African plains, she is now settled in Hawaii, married to a minister, and waging her battles in a hallway of monotony. There is the leaky roof, the chafing expectations of her husband's congregation, and the constant demands of motherhood. But in an instant, beginning with the skid of tires, Abbe's battlefield is transformed when her three-year-old daughter is killed, triggering in Abbe a seismic grief that will cut a swath through the landscape of her life and her identity.
South African author Isla Morley's debut novel, Come Sunday is a story about searching for a true homeland, family bonds torn asunder, and the unearthing of decades-old secrets.
Sceptre, paperback, 9780340976517 (March)
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, paperback, 9780374126872 (May)
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AN ELEGY FOR EASTERLY
Petina Gappah
Petina Gappah is the voice of Zimbabwe. In this astonishingly powerful debut collection, she dissects with real poignancy the lives of people caught up in a situation over which they have no control, as they deal with spiralling inflation, power cuts and financial hardship - a way of life under Mugabe's regime - and cope with issues common to all people everywhere; failed promises, disappointments and unfulfilled dreams. Compelling, unflinching and tender, An Elegy for Easterly is a defining book, and a stunning portrait of a country in chaotic meltdown.
Faber and Faber, paperback, 9780571246939
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THE LAST PATRIARCH
Najat El Hachmi
This is a riveting debut novel of fathers and daughters, and the conflict between duty and desire, set in rural Morocco and urban Cataluna. The Last Patriarch is narrated by the daughter of Mimoun Driouch - the patriarch of the title - from his birth to her entrance into university. Mimoun believes that life on his parents' land 'is not his destiny' and so we follow his journey from rural Morocco to urban Cataluna. Mimoun's own violent nature and paranoia leads to frustration and rage, which he duly takes out on his wife and children. 'This was not his destiny' - this phrase is repeated almost like a mantra for Mimoun, who truly believes he is meant for great things. However, as the years pass, it begins to sound hollow; he does not escape the limitations of the role assigned to him by the patriarchal system, but his daughter will. El Hachmi looks at the role of women within a patriarchal culture and tradition while tackling more contemporary issues such as immigration and integration, as well as the fractured identity that results from having roots in two very distinct cultures. It is at once a powerful saga of a Moroccan family and a story of a girl's struggle to find her own identity and break free of a domineering father.
Serpent's Tail, paperback, 9781846687174 (April)
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DARK HEART OF THE NIGHT
Léonora Miano
Translated from the French by Tamsin Black
What is Africa's own "heart of darkness"? It is what confronts Ayané when, after three years abroad, she returns to the Central African village of her birth. Now an "outsider" with foreign ways distrusted by her fellow villagers, she must face alone the customs and superstitions that bind this clan of men and women. When invading militia organize a horrific ceremony that they claim will help reunite Africa, Ayané is forced to confront the monstrosity of the act that follows, as well as the responsibility that all the villagers must bear for silently accepting evil done in their name.
Through Ayané's unwilling witness, Cameroonian author Léonora Miano probes the themes of submission and responsibility and questions the role of Africans in the suffering of their fellows. Also exploring African identity, Dark Heart of the Night is a profoundly disturbing novel in its evocation of the darkest side of people driven by their instinct to survive.
Bison Books, paperback, 9780803228238 (April)
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THE STORY OF MAHA
Sumayya Lee
Exploring the boundaries of Muslim life in a claustrophobic suburb in South Africa, this novel follows a strong-willed young woman who matures under the watchful eyes of her loving but staid Indian grandparents. Told with humor and zest, Maha, a passionate, vulnerable, and sometimes outrageous youth clashes with the conventions of her community while struggling to take charge of her life and find a husband who will respect her independence.
Kwela Books, paperback, 9780795702457 (April)
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