A review by amishi1712
The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu

3.0

I found Huchu’s book on the perfect weekend—a weekend spent (mostly) without electricity—and, of course, it was the perfect companion. Although the plot reveals itself before one reaches the end, the themes are engaging and pressing and the writing, beautiful. Huchu shows how Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, treats a single mother and a young and rich but (spoiler alert) gay man. In following them, the reader finds herself in Zimbabwe’s infamous kombi rides, facing the challenges of rising inflation and crumbling infrastructure, and ultimately, wondering about the effects of colonialism and dictatorship on contemporary Zimbabwe. I wish, though, that we could read more from Dumisani’s perspective as well, and get a more nuanced and layered ending.