Impressive debut heralds a talent of breathtaking vibrancy
The début novel of NoViolet Bulawayo, We Need New Names is a series of linked short stories that portrays the coming of age of a young girl named Darling, initially in Paradise, a shantytown in her native Zimbabwe, and then, under the guardianship of her Aunt Fostalina, in ‘Destroyedmichygen’ (Detroit, Michigan).
On the dirt streets of home, she runs with a crew of colourfully-named friends, Godknows, Bastard, Stina, Sbho and Chipo, ready to raid the affluent nearby community of Budapest for its luscious supply of guava, a delicious but constipating fruit.
