Popular African Domestic Fiction Books
Find domestic fiction books written by authors from Africa for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (9)
1.
Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin EN
ZambiaDescription:
"Baking Cakes in Kigali" is a novel about the real meaning of reconciliation - about how, in the aftermath of tragedy, life goes on and people still manage to find reasons to celebrate.
2.
His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie EN
LiberiaDescription:
A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR A Must-Read Novel: The New York Times Book Review * BuzzFeed * Time * Marie Claire * Parade * Travel + Leisure * Ms. * Bustle * The Millions * Book Riot * PopSugar * HelloGiggles * Kirkus Reviews* Good Morning America “[A] mesmerizing debut novel.” —The New York Times Book Review “A story that kept me tied to the page, told in masterful, seamless prose.” —BuzzFeed “I love this book so much I turned the pages so fast . . . It’s all about the search for independence and being true to yourself and who yo... continue
3.
Little Brother : A Refugee's Odyssey by Ibrahima Balde, Amets Arzallus Antia EN
GuineaDescription:
Based on the author's own life, this heartbreaking novel about an African migrant takes you inside the refugee crisis—for readers of The Lost Children's Archive and The Girl with the Louding Voice. Ibrahima is still a boy when his father dies, but as the eldest son he must leave their home village in the Guinean countryside in search of work to support his family. Eventually apprenticed to a trucker in the capital, he learns that his younger brother has dropped out of school and fled to Libya to pursue the dream of finding work in Europe. Leaving behind everything, Ibrahima sets off with the a... continue
4.
Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie EN
Description:
"When Selasi and Akorfa were young girls, they were more than just cousins; they were inseparable confidantes. Then Selasi begins to change, becoming hostile and quiet and losing interest in everything. The two become estranged, and it will be years before Akorfa learns what has happened. Only a crisis can ultimately bring them back together"--
5.
The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah EN
GhanaDescription:
A beginners' guide to the fundamentals of the Dru meditation technique, a method for soothing the mind and relaxing the emotions. The programme includes six short guided meditations designed to instill a sense of profound stillness, quieten and calm a stressed mind and reconnect with the important aspects of life. Each nine-minute meditations is based on one of the elements: Earth, Water, Light, Air and Sky.
6.
The Dawning of the Day : A Jerusalem Tale by Haim Sabato EN
EgyptDescription:
Ezra Siman Tov is a simple storyteller who captivates his friends in the Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem. His professor brother-in-law gives him grudging respect, Torah scholars listen to him surreptitiously, and a famous author bases his work on his tales. But Ezra has a secret that overshadows his family life and refuses to leave him. In this colorful novel, Sabato creates a world in which faith provides a framework and a deep source of comfort in life.
7.
The Last Gift by Abdulrazak Gunrah EN
TanzaniaDescription:
By the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature Abbas has never told anyone about his past; about what happened before he was a sailor on the high seas, before he met his wife Maryam outside a Boots in Exeter, before they settled into a quiet life in Norwich with their children, Jamal and Hanna. Now, at the age of sixty-three, he suffers a collapse that renders him bedbound and unable to speak about things he thought he would one day have to. Jamal and Hanna have grown up and gone out into the world. They were both born in England but cannot shake a sense of apartness. Hanna calls herself ... continue
8.
The Promised Land by Grace Ogot EN
KenyaDescription:
A young farmer and his wife who have migrated to Tanzania from Kenya become embroiled in issues of personal jealousy and materialism, and a melodramatic tale of tribal hatreds ensues. The novel explores Ogot's concept of the ideal African wife: obedient and submissive to her husband; family and community orientated; and committed to non-materialist goals. The style is distinctively ironic giving the story power and relevance. Grace Ogot has been employed in diverse occupations as a novelist, short story writer, scriptwriter, politician, and representative to the UN. Some of her other works inc... continue
9.
The Simple Past by Driss Chraïbi EN
MoroccoDescription:
The Simple Past came out in 1954, and both in France and its author’s native Morocco the book caused an explosion of fury. The protagonist, who shares the author’s name, Driss, comes from a Moroccan family of means, his father a self-made tea merchant, the most devout of Muslims, quick to be provoked and ready to lash out verbally or physically, continually bent on subduing his timid wife and many children to his iron and ever-righteous will. He is known, simply, as the Lord, and Driss, who is in high school, is in full revolt against both him and the French colonial authorities, for whom, as ... continue