The Book of Not
2006
In The Book of Not, Dangarembga reintroduces a lot of her old characters, including Tambu's detestable mother, her misogynistic uncle, her bitter aunt, and her intelligent and ever-questioning cousin Nyasha. It is the family we have all wanted to run away from at some point in time. For all connoisseurs of African literature, The Book of Not is an important new read. The story of Tambu surprises with its poignant commentary on a still painful Zimbabwean past. Dangarembga's authorial voice delves into the educational system, the liberation struggle and attitudes of contemporary Zimbabweans in an insightful and incisive examination of a system calculated to poison and destroy the African sense of self.