So Many Emotions...

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After reading Send Her Back by Munashe Kaseke, which was published by Mukana Press, I was interested in the Mukana Press 2022 Anthology of African Writing, The Newlyweds’ Window. I try to read books that have diverse characters, written by diverse authors, so this anthology sounded fantastic. As a whole, it was definitely one of the best anthologies I’ve read!

The stories are all from different genres, and I thought I wouldn’t like this feature, but I ended up loving it! The anthology still felt cohesive and the different genres actually added more depth to the book. Many of the stories left me wanting more, and wishing that each author had published a whole book instead of a short story!

My favorite thing about the anthology was that the stories elicited such strong and varying emotions. I felt everything from fear and disgust to outrage and lonesomeness; from thoroughly creeped out to heartbroken. Most of the stories were so simple, yet so effective in conveying emotion, and that made it a very powerful book.

Honestly, it’s hard to pick my favorite stories from this anthology, but if I had to choose, I would say “The Daya Zimu” by Vanessa Nakayange, “Rain” by Muuka Gwaba, and “This is for My Aunt Penzi, Who—” by Idza Luhumyo were my top 3. These stories were so inventive and unique! I highly recommend this book, especially because it combines immense talented with the representation of overlooked authors!