Have you ever read a book that you know is fiction but it messes with your head so much that you start to believe that its actually a non-fiction book? That the characters actually exist? No? Just me?
People that know me will tell you that it’s absolutely inconceivable that I’ll read a book twice. Not when there are more than a million worlds through words to discover.
House of Stone, which is Novuyo Tshuma’s debut novel, however, is such a remarkable work of art that it’s taken me a second reading to fully appreciate it’s genius and also to be able to write this review
The story centers on Zamani who longs to be accepted by the family from whom he rents a room, after their natural born son disappears. So he sets out to write his surrogate family’s hi-story by coaxing the stories out of the Mlembos.
The story is equal parts hilarious and horrifying. Though the narrator, Zamani, is unreliable, Novuyo uses personal narratives to tell the history of Zimbabwe; the Rhodesian war and the Gukurahundi genocide. For a person (me) who is hungry for informaton on Africa as a whole, this book is a Godsend.
The other thing I love about House of Stone is that it can not be put in one box of a genre. It’s a historical, psychological, thriller. I think I need to end this post here, lest I give the story away.
Yes, this book is a must read. To buy the kindle version, please follow the link below.
https://www.amazon.com/House-Stone-Novuyo-Rosa-Tshuma-ebook/dp/B0792M9YCN
Thanks for the review. Am adding this to my reading list for 2018.
Oh you should, it’s an amazing book! Easily on my top ten list of 2018
Finally read it and totally agree with you. It was a great read. It’s on my top 10 too.