Fantastic anthology of African literature
Mukana Press has put together an eclectic mix of short stories in its anthology of African writing entitled THE NEWLYWEDS’ WINDOW. In the Southern African language of Shona, “Mukana” means “opportunity.” With the goal to give underrepresented authors the opportunity for their work to be published and shared the world over, this anthology packs a good punch.
The collection has a story for everyone and while the genres vary greatly – horror, mysticism, and speculative fiction to name a few – each story is connected by our shared human experience. These authors have unique voices, differing writing styles, hail from countries thousands of miles and oceans away from me, with cultures that I only know pieces of, yet I still feel a connection to their stories. Though we all experience things in our individual ways, there are still universals that are common everywhere – family, coming-of-age, tradition, superstition, fear, panic, curiosity, friendship.
Some of the stories had cliff-hanger endings. I really liked this. I am not one to shy away from books that don’t give a happy-ever-after ending and the unsettling feeling that the end of several of these pieces gave actually made me appreciate them more. It’s hard to pick a favorite.
I’d recommend THE NEWLYWEDS’ WINDOW to fans of short stories, African literature, or anyone looking to diversify their reading.
Thank you to Mukana Press for the copy.
The collection has a story for everyone and while the genres vary greatly – horror, mysticism, and speculative fiction to name a few – each story is connected by our shared human experience. These authors have unique voices, differing writing styles, hail from countries thousands of miles and oceans away from me, with cultures that I only know pieces of, yet I still feel a connection to their stories. Though we all experience things in our individual ways, there are still universals that are common everywhere – family, coming-of-age, tradition, superstition, fear, panic, curiosity, friendship.
Some of the stories had cliff-hanger endings. I really liked this. I am not one to shy away from books that don’t give a happy-ever-after ending and the unsettling feeling that the end of several of these pieces gave actually made me appreciate them more. It’s hard to pick a favorite.
I’d recommend THE NEWLYWEDS’ WINDOW to fans of short stories, African literature, or anyone looking to diversify their reading.
Thank you to Mukana Press for the copy.