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This Mournable Body

This Mournable Body

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  • Create Date：2021-03-25 13:21:04
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Tsitsi Dangarembga
  • ISBN：0571355528
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Summary

In this tense and psychologically charged novel， Tsitsi Dangarembga channels the hope and potential of one young girl and a fledgling nation to lead us on a journey to discover where lives go after hope has departed。

Here we meet Tambudzai， living in a run-down youth hostel in downtown Harare and anxious about her prospects after leaving a stagnant job。 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。

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Reviews

Jo ，

I mean， it was fine。 Lots of violence against women。 The theme of someone who has sold out their principles to strive for success could be clearer， because it takes a while to come into focus。 She's also struggling with mental health issues which seem to be the main point until the last chapter or two。 I mean， it was fine。 Lots of violence against women。 The theme of someone who has sold out their principles to strive for success could be clearer， because it takes a while to come into focus。 She's also struggling with mental health issues which seem to be the main point until the last chapter or two。 。。。more

Annette Morris ，

So many issues are raised in this novel set in Zimbabwe。 It's the final volume in the trilogy and our heroine is now a middle aged woman trying to find her way in the world of work in newly independent Zimbabwe。 It's left me with such a lot to think about: racism， sexism， mental health， betrayal， family， colonialism， self worth， success， tourism and more。 Would be a great one for a reading group but it might be a long discussion afterwards！ So many issues are raised in this novel set in Zimbabwe。 It's the final volume in the trilogy and our heroine is now a middle aged woman trying to find her way in the world of work in newly independent Zimbabwe。 It's left me with such a lot to think about: racism， sexism， mental health， betrayal， family， colonialism， self worth， success， tourism and more。 Would be a great one for a reading group but it might be a long discussion afterwards！ 。。。more

Marina ，

2。5*

Madelein J ，

This book was hard to get into due to the way in which it is written。 Once into it， it makes sense to have that style and once I got used to it， I absolutely loved this story。 So many different issues being tackled in this one simple story。

Sandra ，

'You give up the struggle against your knowledge and concede at last a fiendish truth that you encountered at the university。 In an interview， a Ghanian writer called Ama Ata Aidoo declared at first she had not known she was the colour she eventually learned she was， that the term black held no meaning for her until she found herself amongst white people。 'This is such an interesting conclusion to the complexity that is Tambu; as she navigates her disappointment of not receiving the level of edu 'You give up the struggle against your knowledge and concede at last a fiendish truth that you encountered at the university。 In an interview， a Ghanian writer called Ama Ata Aidoo declared at first she had not known she was the colour she eventually learned she was， that the term black held no meaning for her until she found herself amongst white people。 'This is such an interesting conclusion to the complexity that is Tambu; as she navigates her disappointment of not receiving the level of education and success she believed she deserved， becoming middle aged， not being able to reconnect with her home due to shame and being objectified by the society around her。Tambu's journey is one that meanders from lows to highs and lows， and driven by a sense of entitlement to be this provider of wealth to her family which causes her to compromise her values。 In the end she finally finds her way。 A powerful narrative that depicts the corruption on the pysche that colonisation established in Zimbabwe even in its post colonial state。 。。。more

Janelle Bailey ，

20: This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga。。。which I picked up when it was long-listed for the Booker Prize。Maybe I was missing something having not read the first two books in the trilogy。 Maybe I don’t appreciate “art” in literature。 Maybe I don’t understand at all what process goes into books being nominated for big prizes。While I can find valuable things I learned or gleaned from reading this book， I have to dig deeply。 And rather than looking forward to “reading time，” I just really want 20: This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga。。。which I picked up when it was long-listed for the Booker Prize。Maybe I was missing something having not read the first two books in the trilogy。 Maybe I don’t appreciate “art” in literature。 Maybe I don’t understand at all what process goes into books being nominated for big prizes。While I can find valuable things I learned or gleaned from reading this book， I have to dig deeply。 And rather than looking forward to “reading time，” I just really wanted to finish it。 Having inadvertently encouraged a food friend to also read it， I felt I had to finish it。。。and knowing that others do read award contenders， I figured we were not alone。。。so believed I had to finish。。。in part out of hope that it would improve and/or reach a valid message。I don’t feel like I truly visited Zimbabwe， specifically， as neither the setting nor culture were really distinguished by the details。 I tried to gain exposure through the language and/or the food。。。but I ultimately feel more like I visited one of various and many African communities。。。that the more general description and commentary could have applied to a great number of them。I do feel like I learned， in reading about Tambudzai， a story of a young woman （25？ 30？ 35？ I’m not certain） searching for her place in the world， working to find herself in a world defined more by others and their expectations。 And that I understood and appreciated its universality， the idea that society has—maybe everywhere—too much say in how individuals feel about themselves and their function， allowing others to decide who they should be and what they should do。。。that people everywhere can be so easily exploited。。。if they don’t figure out for themselves who they want to be。 And that IS painful。。。but it was all more painful here。But again: maybe I don’t appreciate things about the book that I should。 So if you do/did。。。please enlighten me。 。。。more

Lais ，

I'm not sure how I feel about this book。The use of the second person was very surprising and took a while to get used to， but after a few chapters it didn't bother me anymore。 But I don't think it had the intended effect （if I dare guess what the author intended）。 Rather than feeling like it helped me to identify with the main character， I felt like it made it harder to get into her thoughts and feelings。 It was really quite hard for me to understand Tambudzai， her actions or her inner thoughts。 I'm not sure how I feel about this book。The use of the second person was very surprising and took a while to get used to， but after a few chapters it didn't bother me anymore。 But I don't think it had the intended effect （if I dare guess what the author intended）。 Rather than feeling like it helped me to identify with the main character， I felt like it made it harder to get into her thoughts and feelings。 It was really quite hard for me to understand Tambudzai， her actions or her inner thoughts。 And maybe that contributed to my second criticism， that it felt like the story wasn't leading anywhere。 It didn't really seem like Tambudzai was learning with her experiences and we were watching her grow and find her path in life， leave unnecessary fears and expectations behind。 It seems like this "enlighment"， so necessary for the character， is all condensed in the last chapter and left rather vague。 Also， in many moments throughout the book， important events were described very indirectly。 I felt confused about what， exactly， went on， and only understood better when the situation is remembered later in the story。 I suspect that a lot of what felt vague and difficult to connect with， for me， is very much related to cultural differences。 Maybe if I were more familiar with the culture I would have been able to understand this book， and everything that is going on in the story， much better。 But then again I don't remember having felt this way when reading the first two novels。 Overall it wasn't a great read， but I realize it might be because this books was just not written for me。 。。。more

Jaime Sánchez ，

Didn’t like the style and the story takes a while to catch you。。。 better towards the end。 Still quite a good view of women in Harare in the 90s。

Maria Ch ，

This is my first time reading Tsitsi Dangaremba， i found the book really well written and interesting。 The story follows Tambudzai an educated underachiever and her struggles fo find a job， prove herself and leave any traumas from the past behind。 Ultimately this is a book about women， all main characters with the exception of one foreigner male， are female， complex and trying to survive in a sexist， racist and post war society。 Though i did not know much about the history of Zimbabwe i found th This is my first time reading Tsitsi Dangaremba， i found the book really well written and interesting。 The story follows Tambudzai an educated underachiever and her struggles fo find a job， prove herself and leave any traumas from the past behind。 Ultimately this is a book about women， all main characters with the exception of one foreigner male， are female， complex and trying to survive in a sexist， racist and post war society。 Though i did not know much about the history of Zimbabwe i found the story very interesting and enjoyed the book overall。 。。。more

AJW ，

Dazzling writing。 A beautiful voice that takes "you" to Africa as witness to a life lived in the hardest of times。 Dazzling writing。 A beautiful voice that takes "you" to Africa as witness to a life lived in the hardest of times。 。。。more

Mel ，

With every choice she makes to improve her life seeming to backfire， Tambudzai struggles to accept that her life has not worked out as expected。I really struggled to get on with this book， for two main reasons。 Firstly， it’s written in the second person， which threw me for a large part of the book。 Secondly， we jump straight into Tambudzai’s downward spiral - it felt borderline voyeuristic reading about her misery without having spent time getting to know her first。 However， I realised after sta With every choice she makes to improve her life seeming to backfire， Tambudzai struggles to accept that her life has not worked out as expected。I really struggled to get on with this book， for two main reasons。 Firstly， it’s written in the second person， which threw me for a large part of the book。 Secondly， we jump straight into Tambudzai’s downward spiral - it felt borderline voyeuristic reading about her misery without having spent time getting to know her first。 However， I realised after starting that this is actually the third book in a trilogy - my library doesn’t carry the first two books， so I ploughed on thinking that if it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize it must work as a standalone， but in hindsight， familiarity with Tambudzai’s backstory would have made for a more enjoyable reading experience。 Where this book excelled， was in the background political machinations and clear societal and personal legacies of colonialism and Zimbabwe’s war of independence。 An exploration of missed potential， dashed dreams and hope， touching on the ongoing schisms in Zimbabwean society， but read the first two books in the trilogy first！ 。。。more

Beth ，

Man Booker 2020 longlistZimbabwe author lives in Zim。 Easy read， interesting perspective。 Written in 2nd person reflects alienation of protagonist。 Post-colonial search for place， interaction with Western education/ ideas and inability to find place in world。

Grebbie ，

I liked the depiction of life but the plot didn’t engage me。

Becs Jeffery ，

My 30 word review: Stark and brutally hypnotic to read - this book follows a female Zimbabwean copywriter （！） as she battles to build her life。 I wanted to like it more than I actually did。

Dani ，

I’m DNF-ing this one because I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep and still wake up to a rather boring repetitive last third of the book。 Additionally， I felt that Tambu’s hostel experience with the Manyangas did not deserve as much focus as it got and it could have been summarised to make this book much shorter than it really is。 I just didn't understand the relevance of the Manyangas to Tambu's journey。Meh。EDIT: I skimmed through the last pages and now I can finally put it down for good。 I’m DNF-ing this one because I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep and still wake up to a rather boring repetitive last third of the book。 Additionally， I felt that Tambu’s hostel experience with the Manyangas did not deserve as much focus as it got and it could have been summarised to make this book much shorter than it really is。 I just didn't understand the relevance of the Manyangas to Tambu's journey。Meh。EDIT: I skimmed through the last pages and now I can finally put it down for good。 。。。more

Savvy ，

This is a very complex novel， to be unpacked in a literature class。 I suspect I barely scratched the surface when it comes to understanding it。 While the book is titled "This Mournable Body"， the main character is actually never physically harmed， she's more psychologically tortured。 It's all the women around her who endure so much violence。 It's like she absorbs their pain when she's not the cause of it。 Right up to the very end， we never know if the main character got her redemption。 The reaso This is a very complex novel， to be unpacked in a literature class。 I suspect I barely scratched the surface when it comes to understanding it。 While the book is titled "This Mournable Body"， the main character is actually never physically harmed， she's more psychologically tortured。 It's all the women around her who endure so much violence。 It's like she absorbs their pain when she's not the cause of it。 Right up to the very end， we never know if the main character got her redemption。 The reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is because of the second-person narrator。 It made me more involved in the story and drew me in yet I could not access the viewpoints or the thoughts of the other characters。It's kind of a depressing read and I guess the author achieved her goal -> to depress the reader just as the main character is。I think that's quite a remarkable thing to do。 。。。more

Kathleen ，

Being successful was very important to Tambudzai Sigauke。 She has a peasant background， is smart and fortunate to be well educated。 But she carries resentments， stress is hard on her and she finds it difficult to control her anger。When This Mournable Body opens， middle age Tambudzai is living in a youth hostel and has very little money remaining from the job she left。 She is depressed and needs to find the energy to hunt for another job。 She worries about what people think of her。 Tambudzai live Being successful was very important to Tambudzai Sigauke。 She has a peasant background， is smart and fortunate to be well educated。 But she carries resentments， stress is hard on her and she finds it difficult to control her anger。When This Mournable Body opens， middle age Tambudzai is living in a youth hostel and has very little money remaining from the job she left。 She is depressed and needs to find the energy to hunt for another job。 She worries about what people think of her。 Tambudzai lives in Harare， Zimbabwe。 The beginning of this book was very slow for me because it takes place in an unfamiliar culture I was not sure if I understood what was happening to Tambudzai and the world around her。 Very gradually the pace picked up for me and eventually I did not want to stop reading。 I worried about Tambudzai and wanted her rise above her problems and be content with herself。When Tambudzai is stressed she feels ants crawling over her body。 The descriptions are very unsettling， as in “An ant crawls over the back of your neck。 Dozens more creep across your skull。”Author Tsitsi Dangarembga chose to tell Tambudzai’s story in the second person， which feels unusual but works well。 I wish I knew more about Zimbabwe’s recent history before starting to read her novel。 I had to check Wikipedia to understand some of the background。I was hesitant to read this novel， but am glad that I met Tambudzai who is a richly drawn and realistic character。 Plus， I now have some familiarity with Zimbabwe。 Surprisingly， a few of the sentences sound like they were coming from Ma Ramotswe， the main character in Alexander McCall Smith’s Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency， who lives in nearby Botswana。This Mournable Body is one of six books shortlisted for the Booker Award in 2020。 。。。more

Michael Nest ，

My gut got tighter and tighter as I read This Mournable Body。 I was so caught up in Tambudzai's character - wanting her to succeed， but feeling that her venture was doomed - and in the end something unexpected happened anyway。 I really enjoyed the book and loved the Harare setting （which I've visited a few times）， but it paints a bleak portrait of contemporary Zimbabwe where there appears to be few avenues that can deliver dignity on a living wage， beyond the reach of predatory powerful people。 My gut got tighter and tighter as I read This Mournable Body。 I was so caught up in Tambudzai's character - wanting her to succeed， but feeling that her venture was doomed - and in the end something unexpected happened anyway。 I really enjoyed the book and loved the Harare setting （which I've visited a few times）， but it paints a bleak portrait of contemporary Zimbabwe where there appears to be few avenues that can deliver dignity on a living wage， beyond the reach of predatory powerful people。 。。。more

Mima ，

Kirjan päähenkilö Tambudzai on kotoisin pienestä kylästä。 Hän on kilpailuhenkinen ja haluaa edetä elämässä， tulla varakkaaksi ja arvostetuksi。 Hän häpeää köyhiä juuriaan ja haluaa todistaa kaikille että pärjää omillaan。 Tambudzai koettaa onneaan kaupungissa mutta epäonni kohtaa aina kulman takana。 Oli sydäntäsärkevää seurata kuinka hänen unelmansa särkyivät kerta toisensa jälkeen。 Mieleenpainuvia asioita olivat itsenäisyystaisteluista selvinneet sukulaisnaiset joka herätti huomaamaan että en taa Kirjan päähenkilö Tambudzai on kotoisin pienestä kylästä。 Hän on kilpailuhenkinen ja haluaa edetä elämässä， tulla varakkaaksi ja arvostetuksi。 Hän häpeää köyhiä juuriaan ja haluaa todistaa kaikille että pärjää omillaan。 Tambudzai koettaa onneaan kaupungissa mutta epäonni kohtaa aina kulman takana。 Oli sydäntäsärkevää seurata kuinka hänen unelmansa särkyivät kerta toisensa jälkeen。 Mieleenpainuvia asioita olivat itsenäisyystaisteluista selvinneet sukulaisnaiset joka herätti huomaamaan että en taaskaan tiedä mitään kokonaisen mantereen tapahtumista。 。。。more

Mehar ，

Didn’t finish it！ Part 1 is quite convoluted and the writing often loses itself in metaphors I don’t see the need for。

Merricat Blackwood ，

Nervous Conditions， Tsitsi Dangarembga’s first book about the character Tambudzai Sigauke， starts with this sentence: “I was not sorry when my brother died。” Tambu is a young woman from a poor family in rural Rhodesia; her family only has enough money to educate one child， so Tambu’s brother’s death means that she will be able to go to school。 For the Tambu of Nervous Conditions， that first sentence is bracingly shameless and also very appealing; Tambu cares for herself when no one else finds he Nervous Conditions， Tsitsi Dangarembga’s first book about the character Tambudzai Sigauke， starts with this sentence: “I was not sorry when my brother died。” Tambu is a young woman from a poor family in rural Rhodesia; her family only has enough money to educate one child， so Tambu’s brother’s death means that she will be able to go to school。 For the Tambu of Nervous Conditions， that first sentence is bracingly shameless and also very appealing; Tambu cares for herself when no one else finds her worth caring for。 The Tambu of This Mournable Body has hardened from bracingly shameless to， at times， sickeningly cruel。 Early in the book， Tambu sees a woman on a bus harassed for wearing a short dress。 The crowd on the bus surrounds the woman， threatens her， throws objects at her， and tears her clothing。 Tambu watches with cold interest and seems tempted to throw a rock at the woman。 The scene is described in a spiky， elliptical way， slipping from sensory image to sensory image and skipping across important narrative facts; it doesn’t emphasize the acts of violence or imbue them with horror in the way that you might expect。 It’s a chilly way to describe something so horrific。 Later， Tambu assaults a young woman， leaving her deaf in one ear。 This scene， too， comes across as a series of impressions， weightless。 There is more sexual violence and humiliation and domestic abuse， all creepy and allusive and partially withheld。Dangarembga is a very theory-conscious writer and very self-aware about her work playing a certain role in post-colonial literature。 The title of Nervous Conditions comes from a Fanon quote; the title of This Mournable Body is a variation of the title of a Teju Cole essay， “Unmournable Bodies，” about lack of media interest in African victims of terrorism。 Some of Dangarembga’s social commentary is maybe too obvious， especially late in the book when Tambu gets a job in “ecotourism” with a boss who says things like， “You can’t say village。 That kind of promise doesn’t work these days either。 It’s got to sound like fun， not underdevelopment， soil erosion and microfinance。” The book ends with an ugly pointed scene that makes literal the ways in which Tambu’s work objectifies her and her family and her background。 The writing itself is unpretty， bluntly analytical: “You observe her elevating herself， finding yourself incapable of devising any action that will give you your own advantage。” The book refuses to charm。 I admire that。 。。。more

Dhiraj Sharma Nyaupane ，

The book was hard to follow。 The tone was too sentimental。 There were apparent non sequiturs like the part where the narrator participates in the public harassment of her roommate， her beating of the student， her asking the villagers to dance bare-breasted for the entertainment of tourists， the hyena hallucinations， all thrown in to create an effect but never clear what the author was after。 I could not relate to the motivation of the narrator。

Plainqoma ，

I read this without knowing this is the third installment from a trilogy。 As it can be read as a standalone it also requires effort and it can be frustrating to some readers， I think readers who reads the two previous books can digest this story much more better and appreciates it more。Having said that， the story was told from a second person of view and can be confusing at first。 It took me longer to adapt to this point of view。 The story focusing on Tambu's life and her struggles to become suc I read this without knowing this is the third installment from a trilogy。 As it can be read as a standalone it also requires effort and it can be frustrating to some readers， I think readers who reads the two previous books can digest this story much more better and appreciates it more。Having said that， the story was told from a second person of view and can be confusing at first。 It took me longer to adapt to this point of view。 The story focusing on Tambu's life and her struggles to become successful despite her cultures， personal history， psychology， post war society，the racisms and corruptions of their country。 There's a lot going on in this book。 I found that the name of the characters sometimes can be a bit confusing as it introduced as Freedom or Concept。 Took me awhile sometimes to access that it's a character names actually。 Some phrases can be quite challenging since it's not in english。 Overall I love seeing how Tambu growing up， moulding into a better and better person and being successful and happy at it。 。。。more

Caroline ，

I have to add the caveat that I have not read the first two parts of the trilogy （Nervous Conditions and the Book of Not）， so I came in cold to the world and character of Tambudzai。From what I can gather， although the story in the whole trilogy is very personal to Tambudzai's life， it can also be read as an extended metaphor for Rhodesia/Zimbabwe during the tricky navigation from colony to independent nation。Some of the things that Tambudzai does are baffling unless viewed in the context of the I have to add the caveat that I have not read the first two parts of the trilogy （Nervous Conditions and the Book of Not）， so I came in cold to the world and character of Tambudzai。From what I can gather， although the story in the whole trilogy is very personal to Tambudzai's life， it can also be read as an extended metaphor for Rhodesia/Zimbabwe during the tricky navigation from colony to independent nation。Some of the things that Tambudzai does are baffling unless viewed in the context of the trauma of post-Colonial struggle。 Her violence towards other women， for example， can be viewed as mirroring the lack of safety for women in her immediate experience。 She struggles to find and keep her place in society， and her education has left her ill-equipped for the new order she has found herself in。As readers we live through her hardships， and share her confusion at times。 I'm not sure this book stands alone too well without the context of seeing Tambudzai grow up through years of uncertainty。 But then， the world she lives in is confused， with the rules upended again and again。 。。。more

Adam ，

Colonialism， mediocrity， humiliation， inner struggle， feminism， family relations。 A sometimes cringe worthy character， unlikabley likable Tambudzai， but beautiful nonetheless。 A quiet almost non-energetic woman trying to claim victory on her life and each time she's almost there something goes sideways。 I followed her and felt for her。 I got lost in the second person narrative at times， I loved the internal hyena imagery laced throughout。 An excellent read， definitely worth reading again and aga Colonialism， mediocrity， humiliation， inner struggle， feminism， family relations。 A sometimes cringe worthy character， unlikabley likable Tambudzai， but beautiful nonetheless。 A quiet almost non-energetic woman trying to claim victory on her life and each time she's almost there something goes sideways。 I followed her and felt for her。 I got lost in the second person narrative at times， I loved the internal hyena imagery laced throughout。 An excellent read， definitely worth reading again and again。 "Once more， you hear the hyena laughing as you drift off to sleep。。。" 。。。more

Lucy ，

This Mournable Body is a beautifully written， psychologically insightful but， for me， excruciatingly uncomfortable story。The main character， Tambudzai， is trying to prove herself in Harare and forget the village homestead she grew up in。 The trouble is that Tambu is deeply unlikeable: from the very start when she witnesses a sexual assault on a bus， through her bitterness， pride and snobbery it’s clear that this is a deeply flawed character。 But it’s written in the second person， putting you， th This Mournable Body is a beautifully written， psychologically insightful but， for me， excruciatingly uncomfortable story。The main character， Tambudzai， is trying to prove herself in Harare and forget the village homestead she grew up in。 The trouble is that Tambu is deeply unlikeable: from the very start when she witnesses a sexual assault on a bus， through her bitterness， pride and snobbery it’s clear that this is a deeply flawed character。 But it’s written in the second person， putting you， the reader， in the shoes of this sour， selfish woman。It’s clever and it’s skilful， and I suppose if I were braver it would be an amazingly route to empathy， but I’m afraid it just made me defensive and distressed。 The critical consensus is that This Mournable Body is a masterpiece， but be sure to go into it ready to be bracingly challenged and with your sense of self intact！ 。。。more

Phyllis ，

Reading this book was painful to me， and I can only imagine how painful it must have been to author Tsitsi Dangarembga to write it。There are many brave & wise women in this story， but the protagonist Tambudzai is not one of them。 The reader must commit to traveling with Tambu's self-centered unpleasantness through the entire novel to reach the redemption that begins only at the final three pages of the book。 Do not skip to the end; it is the journey that makes redemption possible。I learned a lot Reading this book was painful to me， and I can only imagine how painful it must have been to author Tsitsi Dangarembga to write it。There are many brave & wise women in this story， but the protagonist Tambudzai is not one of them。 The reader must commit to traveling with Tambu's self-centered unpleasantness through the entire novel to reach the redemption that begins only at the final three pages of the book。 Do not skip to the end; it is the journey that makes redemption possible。I learned a lot about Zimbabwe along the way。 It is hard to reckon that the nation is today only 40 years old。 A person like Tambu who was born around the time of the 1980 independence is of a precarious generation; much like the country， not of the old ways， not yet of any firmly established new ways， but struggling along to find the ways that work。 。。。more

RD Chiriboga Moncayo ，

Heavy-handed at times， this didactic novel is very effective in its portrayal of post-colonial Zimbabwe and the heartless pursuit of western style success that leads to isolation， alienation and misfortune。

Ged ，

Just a few superficial observations because I don't really feel qualified to review more thoroughly。。。Dangarembga clearly has an authentic voice to relate womens' experiences in Zimbabwe but I simply don't feel qualified to critique。 Perhaps I should read the first two and return to this one。 The first observation is I found the second person a little difficult to follow。。。the passage describing the scantily clad woman on the bus I had to read and re-read and still didn't fully get。 （I reminded Just a few superficial observations because I don't really feel qualified to review more thoroughly。。。Dangarembga clearly has an authentic voice to relate womens' experiences in Zimbabwe but I simply don't feel qualified to critique。 Perhaps I should read the first two and return to this one。 The first observation is I found the second person a little difficult to follow。。。the passage describing the scantily clad woman on the bus I had to read and re-read and still didn't fully get。 （I reminded of Hitchens scathing criticism of Falwell: "I doubt he has ever read a difficult book"）The second is that though the plot clearly builds towards a set piece in the village， the actual punchline is an anti-climax。。。I was left feeling like someone telling me 'a really funny thing happened to me today' and then fluffing their lines。Finally， I was intrigued to discover where the title comes from， and will be exploring that thinking a little more。。。 。。。more

Jin Tran ，

This book definitely delivers on its title。 I started out grasping for reasons to like the bluntly honest， but unreliable main character— and she provides enough backstory to show why the reader is seeing her at rock bottom。 The book is set in postwar Zimbabwe and touches on the destructiveness of colonialism in a poor country， the caged， bipolar nature of the hope it can create as people try to escape poverty， and the havoc it wreaks on even the most promising people with every motivation to ma This book definitely delivers on its title。 I started out grasping for reasons to like the bluntly honest， but unreliable main character— and she provides enough backstory to show why the reader is seeing her at rock bottom。 The book is set in postwar Zimbabwe and touches on the destructiveness of colonialism in a poor country， the caged， bipolar nature of the hope it can create as people try to escape poverty， and the havoc it wreaks on even the most promising people with every motivation to make their family and village proud。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=This Mournable Body

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=This Mournable Body&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,This Mournable Body&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0