A review by sssnoo
So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ

informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I’m now left with less than 50 countries to read on my Around the World literary journey - and this book ticked the box for Senegal. So Long a Letter is a literary classic and NOMA award winning epistolary essay focussed on a woman’s role and life in modern (1980s) Senegal. What I found fascinating were the vast similarities to women’s struggles across the world. The commonalities were cloaked in cultural and regional differences, but the commonalities were striking. Often books I’ve read for this project have been most striking for immersing me in the differences between countries, but this book brought me back to the universal features of humanity.  Worth reading.