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Amma Darko's new novel is a dramatic story of exploitation in modern Ghana.
A new novel from a scion of the new generation of writers in Africa. She tells the story of women in Africa: here it is misery, pain, agony, dilemmas, frustrations. She floats the reader on a world of inverted reality, which yet becomes the norm. With creative imagination, confronting the social realities, she seeks out the world of peace and tranquillity. But not without verisimilitude. The extremes of moral turpitude beget horrid outcomes, leaving suspense rather than resolution. Amma Darko Amma Darko is one of the most significant contemporary Ghanaian literary writers. She is the author of three previous novels: Faceless (Sub-Saharan, 2003), The Housemaid (Heinemann, 1999) and Beyond the Horizon (Heinemann, 1995).
Street life in the slums of Accra is realistically portrayed in this socially-commited, subtle novel about four educated women who are inspired by the plight of a 14-year old girl, Fofo. As the main characters convert their library center into a practical street initiative, the novel invokes the squalor, health risks, and vicious cycles of poverty and violence that drive children to the streets and women to prostitution; and, from which, ultimately, no one in the society is free.
Beyond the Horizon is the heart-wrenching debut novel by award-winning author Ammo Darko, telling the tale of a young Ghanaian woman tricked into a life of exploitation by her husband. Mara stares in the mirror, searching for the woman she used to know. The sweet, innocent woman that was excited to marry the man her father chose for her, to start a family and live in a house of her own. But her husband had other plans. Determined to make his fortune in Europe, Mara's husband expects her to sacrifice everything to make his dreams come true – but the sacrifice is more than she could ever have imagined... Beyond the Horizon is a gripping and provocative story of the plight of African women, the lies they were sold about life in Europe, and the false hopes of those they leave behind.
A Commonwealth Prize–winning novel of “intense power . . . examining the role of women in modern African society” by the acclaimed Ghanaian author (Publishers Weekly). Living in Ghana’s capital city of Accra with a postgraduate degree and a career in data analysis, Esi Sekyi is a thoroughly modern African woman. Perhaps that is why she decides to divorce her husband after enduring yet another morning’s marital rape. Though her friends and family are baffled by her decision (after all, he doesn’t beat her!), Esi holds fast. When she falls in love with a married man—wealthy, and able to arrange a polygamous marriage—the modern woman finds herself trapped in a new set of problems. Witty and compelling, Aidoo’s novel, according to Manthia Diawara, “inaugurates a new realist style in African literature.” In an afterword to this edition, Tuzyline Jita Allan “places Aidoo’s work in a historical context and helps introduce this remarkable writer [who] sheds light on women’s problems around the globe” (Publishers Weekly).
The Purple Violet of Oshaantu is the moving story of two ordinary women living in rural Namibia. In exploring tales of their marriages to vastly different men, Neshani Andreas exposes the burdens they carry and the friendships they must forge in order to survive. When Ali arrives in the village of Oshaantu, she is met with a cold welcome. Only the young mother next door, Kauna, is willing to truly accept Ali's presence. Kind-hearted and married to an abusive husband, Kauna quickly becomes more than just a neighbour – she becomes a friend, daughter, and someone to mentor. Disaster strikes when Kauna's husband is suddenly found dead at home, causing the villagers to suspect her of poisoning him. What follows is an emotive account of Kauna's journey into widowhood and Ali's bittersweet reflections on the beliefs and customs of her village. Beautiful and thoughtfully written, Andreas paints a vibrant picture of friendship and sisterhood in traditional Namibian society. 'A gentle fighter for women's rights, who used her writing as a weapon.' Mariama Bâ 'One of Namibia's finest post-independence novels.' Erika von Weitersheim
"One of the best books of this year." -Arts and Africa "Adjapon tells a gripping tale" -The Nation "Bisi Adjapon has tackled some of the truly difficult aspects of love and sexuality." -The Mirror "At times hilariously funny and at others deeply disturbing. Of Women and Frogs offers a refreshing and insider perspective onto two West Africa societies." -Literandra London "Unputdownable, a book that makes you go from laughing out loud to bawling and back to laughing again." -Ayesha Haruna Attah, author of The Hundred Wells of Salaga "Stunning. I spent hours moving between out-loud laughter, gripping fear and deep annoyance and love for Esi and her father." -Africa in Dialogue A precocious Afri...
A short, intense and profoundly moving debut novel about race, identity, sex and death – from one of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35
A breathtaking novella from the award-winning author of Song for Night and GraceLand. —A New York Times Editors’ Choice “Moody, lyrical prose reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s Beloved . . . Though the fictional Abigail exists only on the pages of Abani’s novella, her character will seize the imagination of everyone who reads her story.” —Essence Magazine “Becoming Abigail, a spare yet voluptuous tale about a young Nigerian girl’s escape from prostitution is so hypnotic that it begs to be read in one sitting . . . Abigail is sensitive, courageous, and teetering on the brink of madness. Effortlessly gliding between past and present, Chris Abani spins a timeless story of misfortune and triumph.” —Entertainment Weekly Tough, spirited, and fiercely independent Abigail is brought as a teenager to London from Nigeria by relatives who attempt to force her into prostitution. She flees, struggling to find herself in the shadow of a strong but dead mother. In spare yet haunting and lyrical prose reminiscent of Marguerite Duras, Abani brings to life a young woman who lives with a strength and inner light that will enlighten and uplift the reader.
A teen feminist epic of love, courage and determination, as twin sisters try to find each other again in 19th-century West Africa and Brazil 'Uplifting... sizzles with sister-love and magic. What an incredible story-teller!' Yaba Badoe, author of A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars Twin sisters Hassana and Husseina are torn apart after a brutal raid on their village. This tragedy will set them on a voyage to unfamiliar cities and cultures where they will forge new families, ward off dangers and begin to truly know themselves. As the twins pursue separate paths in Brazil and the Gold Coast of West Africa, they remain connected through their shared dreams. But will they ever manage to find each other again? A rich, sweeping historical adventure, The Deep Blue Between is a moving story of the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood