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A review by _rusalka
The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu
3.0
The main reason I started reading around the world 12 years ago was to challenge my assumptions and my way of thinking, and to consider other people's experiences from perspectives that were not mine.
I got so frustrated with this book while I was reading it, as the "twist" was blatantly obvious from the first chapter. I spent the whole book waiting for the characters to catch up. I disliked the choices along the way of characters. And then when they did catch up, I completely disagreed with the reactions. I wasn't overly impressed.
But since I have finished reading and then mulled over this book, I have begun to appreciate it more. As I have realised how much I read the book with a white, western perspective, and this was not at all written from one. My norms are not norms everywhere. Where I saw negatives, in the scheme of things from the characters' world, these actions were rather progressive. Where I saw outdated views, I need to recognise in a lot of the world, they are still currently held views.
Still didn't mean I overly enjoyed the book, but did cause me to consider why I read these books and why I will continually need to. It's so easy to get complacent and think your way is the only way to view the world.
I got so frustrated with this book while I was reading it, as the "twist" was blatantly obvious from the first chapter. I spent the whole book waiting for the characters to catch up. I disliked the choices along the way of characters. And then when they did catch up, I completely disagreed with the reactions. I wasn't overly impressed.
But since I have finished reading and then mulled over this book, I have begun to appreciate it more. As I have realised how much I read the book with a white, western perspective, and this was not at all written from one. My norms are not norms everywhere. Where I saw negatives, in the scheme of things from the characters' world, these actions were rather progressive. Where I saw outdated views, I need to recognise in a lot of the world, they are still currently held views.
Still didn't mean I overly enjoyed the book, but did cause me to consider why I read these books and why I will continually need to. It's so easy to get complacent and think your way is the only way to view the world.