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Written by: 6/23/2009 2:27 PM
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.
Review By - Jurina Nkwazi: 3/5
The book was an easy read filled with happy and sad moments. I have gained a lot of insight on how the people live Zimbabwe. At one stage I was afraid that SA would turned into a Zimbabwe. Simply because of the warning signs such as load shedding, fuel shortages, forced removals, etc. And what angered me the most was the fact that women just accepted being the wife at home while her husband has lots of other mistresses.
Resulting into the unspoken disease leading to sudden death. And the beauty of it all is that its happening in government! We know this happens in people's and that government would've have shown some respect. Talking about government, I was shocked to hear u can have a funeral of a Prime Minister with no body. Yet we call them leaders and the educated. But its not all doom and gloom. Great things happen like the elderly retired man who was the best coffin maker and who won the Mupandwana Dancing Competition. And the employee who gave her Indian boss a good hiding after he broke off an agreement that she could leave early to take her children home. She slept in jail for three days but the beauty of it all is that since the incident he respected her, treated her right and became good friends. To conclude, the struggle still continues today and people are struggling under the leadership of Mugabe. But what will remain with me is the extent we would go to achieve our hopes and dreams of making the most of what we have.
Review By - Brandon Davidson: 4/5
An Elegy for Easterly is an anthology of short stories written by Petina Gappah, a Zimbabwean writer living in Geneva, Switzerland.
We are used to hearing about the bigger picture in Zimbabwe, but here we get to hear stories about individual people ranging from the poor to the wealthy. I think Petina has a good insight into the minds of ordinary Zimbabweans and we get to hear their views on the war, the government, inflation, corruption, infidelity and just day to day living. There’s a sense of hopelessness yet there’s still time for joy, humour and jollification.
“At the Sound of the last Post” takes place at the funeral of a senior member of the ruling party. His widow, seated next to the president, muses about the farce because an empty coffin (earth in place of the body) is being buried. She has secured herself a senatorship and property to keep quiet about the affair.
In “An Elegy for Easterly”, Martha, a mentally challenged woman is raped by a man whose wife is battling to fall pregnant. The wife helps with the birth (not knowing it’s her husband’s child) and then takes the child from Martha, who subsequently dies. All this happens on the farm called Easterly, while the country is in turmoil, informal markets are being destroyed, and in the end the bulldozers come to Easterly.
In “The Annexe Shuffle”, the annexe is the mental wing of a certain hospital to which a law student is sent after somebody overheard her contemplating suicide. She can see the route the university bus takes and she has to make decisions about the route her life is taking. She decides to be good and normal and is let out. She does well at university but discovers that her story has grown and it is thought that she jumped from a tree, swallowed tablets, was found naked, threw herself in front of a car. Sometime later she meets one of the inmates whom she had befriended and ignores him and pretends not to see the hurt in his eyes.
“Something Nice from London” sees a mourning family fruitlessly awaiting the body of Peter, their errant brother/son from London. Their family arrives at their house in droves, wails and shouts his name and expects to be fed until the body arrives for the funeral. He has meanwhile depleted their money with constant demands and they can’t afford to feed all these people. As a last resort they even try to go to London knowing they don’t have enough money. In the end they receive from a stewardess (who got it from their cousin in London) a gaudily wrapped package containing Peter’s ashes.
“In the Heart of the Golden Triangle” explores a certain type of family life. Appearances are all important. Bankers and diplomats live in this area. The wives drive luxury sedans or 4x4’s, children go to private schools and they shop in South Africa. They live in a big house but there is often a mistress who lives in a small house somewhere. Their biggest fear is that the mistress will someday usurp them from their big house.
In “The Mupandawana Dancing Champion” a retired cabinet maker (who received overalls, tools and 3 pairs of shoes as his pension) becomes a coffin maker of note and subsequently wins a dancing competition in the local club. His prize is a drink a week for three months. When he comes to collect his drink one Friday he dances, ends up on the floor and dies. He is ironically buried in one of the coffins he made.
“Our Man in Geneva Wins a Million Euros” tells the story of a simple man who worked in the passport office in Harare and becomes the consular officer at the United Nations office in Geneva, earning about 6000 francs. He can now send his children to universities in Canada and England but gets constant demands for money from them. He is then suckered into an internet scam , thinking he has won a million euros, but he ends up owing the bank 51000 francs
“The Maid from Lalapanzi” is told through the eyes of a child named Chenai. She and her brother have been through many maids and end up with SisiBlandina. She relates stories of the war and of Lalapanzi to them. She falls in love with George who works at the post office. She leaves the household ostensibly to get married to George. He then rejects her and she tries to come back to Chenai’s house. She is found dead in the river and Chenai’s aunt makes a heartless statement about her.
“Aunt Juliana’s Indian” is about the relationship the narrator’s aunt has with her employer. They have ups and downs and she eventually punches him in the face. She spends three days in prison during the last days of Rhodesia. He then gives her job back and in jest threatens the customers with her. She gets a secretarial diploma and he is there clapping for her. She gets a job as a typist but still comes to shop at his establishment. She dies and he attends the funeral where one of her relatives imitates the right hook she gave to Mr Vaswani.
In “The Cracked, Pink Lips of Rosie’s Bridegroom” HIV/AIDS is looked at. The guests at the wedding know of the bridegroom’s relationships with various women who have fallen victim to the disease. Nobody will say anything, they will just mourn when she dies. Even some of the guests have pink, cracked lips.
“My Cousin-Sister Rambanai” is someone we often have in our own family. She comes from America to attend her father’s funeral. She dresses very brightly and speaks mainly about “the States.” After the funeral there are excuses and delays about going back. It is then discovered that she can’t go back as she was there illegally. Her cousin helps her get to the UK, but sees not a sign of the money loaned to her. Her cousin eventually goes to the UK and happens to see Rambanai, who says she must call, and only when she is gone does the cousin realize she doesn’t have her number.
“The Negotiated Settlement” has a husband and wife thinking about their marriage. Affairs, unresolved arguments have been had, divorce has been mentioned, and now there seems to be nothing. Then her mom dies suddenly, he fetches her from where she teaches and they decide to talk about all things.
“Midnight at the Hotel California” touches on the corruption theme in various ways. The narrator is a wheeler –dealer in all types of goods. A fuel deal goes sour , then he gets a lift from a guy who’s playing “Hotel California” in his vehicle. The narrator tells a funny story about an establishment called “Hotel California Bed and Breakfast.” Along the way corrupt police get money out of them on a false fine, they have a few drinks together , then the narrator gets to hear of a new deal.
The one drawback I find is the use of Shona words, phrases and sentences which slows one down quite a bit. One is not quite sure sometimes whether the translation is in front, behind or there is no translation. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
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