Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

Set in Rhodesia in the late 60s and early 70s, before it became Zimbabwe, Nervous Conditions is about a clever and ambitious Shona girl called Tamba who leaves her poor parents to stay with an affluent uncle at a mission school. She shares a room with her cousin who spent her early years in England and who struggles to know where or how she fits in. She and Tamba feel the vast differences between European and African culture, particularly for women and try to work out what it is to be an African woman.



This is a lovely coming of age story in a fascinating setting and you can reserve it here. Riverina Regional Library also has the sequel to Nervous Conditions, The Book of Not.