A review by faintgirl
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

3.0

I was expecting an entirely different novel to the one I got, after reading the blurb about Nervous Conditions. I was expecting a culture clash to be at the forefront of this coming of age novel, but instead, the influence of the English in Rhodesia was more insidious - a background undercurrent. I'm pretty sure this was for the better. Nervous Conditions is the story of Tambu, a young peasant from a farm who would like to escape her cultural lot. Her father is a waster who relies on his brother to support his family, and her only brother dies when he goes away to school. She works hard to educate herself, and gain a certain freedom from the patriachy of her culture. At the same time, she sees the effect such an emancipation can have in the parallel story of her cousin Nyasha, who was brought up in England and struggles with her multiple identities. It's well written, and highly sympathetic, and you find yourself rooting for Tambu from very early on. It's not a gripping novel though, and for this reason, it only gets a three.