This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga
In her third addition to the Nervous Conditions series, Tsitsi Dangarembga has masterfully crafted a deeply personal, yet historically informative novel that forces the reader to bear witness to Tambudzai’s “unmaking” and her desperate attempts to pull the pieces back together. This Mournable Body challenges the reader to fully place themselves in another’s shoes (perhaps, a pair of Lady Di heels), and empathize with a character who, at times, seems unforgivable.
Written in second person narrative, the reader will often forget they are occupying the thoughts and completing the actions of Tambudzai, a Zimbabwean woman in her thirties living in Harare at the turn on the 21st century. We meet Tambu in a women’s hostel after she has just left a successful, but unfulfilling, job at an ad agency. She is “starting over” later in her life than she wishes to. Tambu must simultaneously deal with her current situation—unemployment and lack of housing—all while managing painful emotions and memories related to her and her country’s history, all within the borders of a newly independent nation struggling with political instability, a shaky economy, racial tension, and female disempowerment.
While it isn’t always clear precisely what her vision of “success” is, Tambu very clearly desires it. The reader will observe that Tambu makes sense of her world through developing mental hierarchies, as so many people do. When she feels frustrated about her position in life, she looks to those around her and analyzes their actions and characteristics, trying to figure out why they have more than her. Depending on the person she is comparing herself to, she may decide they have succeeded more than her due to the color of their skin, their education level, their wealth, their birthplace. At her lowest points, she finds herself wondering if something is simply wrong with her. At one point in the novel she admits, “I am ashamed…I don’t have the things that make me better. I want to be better. I want the things that make me” (136).
What are the things that make us better? Does anything on this earth guarantee success? Tambu must grapple with these questions as the characters she encounters throughout the novel prove and disprove her theories about who is guaranteed success in this world. She experiences a “hyena” gnawing within her, attempting to “drag away the last scraps of certainty you have preserved” (261). The novel’s other characters in tandem with her “inner-hyena” force Tambu to question everyone and herself, pulling her further away from the sense of security she feels success—whatever that is—would bring her.
Weaved effortlessly into this psychologically driven novel about a fictional individual are very real facts about the history of Zimbabwe. Dangarembga, a Zimbabwean woman herself, created deep and believable characters to portray both the pain of being a native in a colonized nation, as well the immense political and economic difficulties independent nations often face post colonization. While the first two novels in the series take place much earlier, during colonization and the fight for independence, This Mournable Body takes place in a postcolonial Zimbabwe, nearly 20 years after independence. At this time in Zimbabwe’s history, the white minority still living in the country has majority control over the economy, with white farmers owning most of the arable land. Racial tension is high. The Zimbabwean government struggles with political instability and corruption. The Zimbabwean people suffer from the physical, mental, and emotional wounds caused by decades of colonization, a violent and brutal fight for independence, and the corrupt government that has taken the place of the English. Through her diverse array of characters, Dangarembga illuminates how different types of people in Zimbabwe—African or European, black or white, female or male, young or old, poor or wealthy, educated or uneducated, ex-combatant or not—may have been affected by its history.
In a classroom setting, I believe this book is highly teachable, and could be particularly valuable in college level courses focusing on postcolonial and/or African literature. I do believe it is important that the book is taught within the historical context. At the very least, a basic understanding of the history of Zimbabwe is necessary for a thorough understanding of the book.
This Mournable Body was an excellent, exciting, and challenging book that kept me on my toes through all three parts. Reading the novel, I became increasingly more curious about Zimbabwe—and neighboring countries—history and cultures. On a personal level, though I am not quite Tambu’s age, even at twenty-four I can relate to many of her feelings regarding success (will I find it? How do I secure it?), comparison (why do they have ___ at this age, and I don’t?), and self-doubt (what if I’m the problem?). These more relatable elements of Tambu’s emotions and experiences allow readers from different parts of the world to empathize with her and her story more readily, even if they cannot relate to the circumstances of the novel’s setting.
If I were to rate this novel, I would award it five stars. I believe it earns a five-star rating based on writing style, character development, and historical/political commentary. Dangarembga’s immersive use of second-person narrative, her complex (and often unlikable) characters that do not follow a predictable “hero’s journey,” and her inclusion of historical and political analysis come together to form a beautifully written, informative, surprising, and thought-provoking novel.
