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WINNER OF THE CHILDREN'S AFRICANA BOOK AWARDS 2024
OBSERVER BEST BOOKS OF 2023
IRISH TIMES BEST BOOKS OF 2023
SUNDAY TIMES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK
An outstanding YA novel of family love, loss, and life lived between two cultures, by an astonishing, super-stylish new voice.
‘I’m going to tell you exactly how everything happened. Baba always says, Mati mwana’ngu, I love a good story but I don’t have time for a long one, so make it short.’
When Mati and her two siblings travel from London to Zimbabwe with their father, they are forced to confront the knotty family dynamics caused by the loss of their mother.
Along for the trip is Meticais, a fabulously attired gender-neutral spirit — or ghost? or imaginary friend? — who only Mati can see and talk to. Guided by Meticais’s enigmatic advice and wisdom, Mati must come to terms with her grief and with the difficulty of a life lived between two cultures, while her family learn to forge their way in a world without their monumental mother. This is distinctive, stylish, powerful writing by a vital new voice.
All That It Ever Meant by Blessing Musariri
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781035902514
Imprint: Zephyr
Exceptional and surprising... The story is rich in philosophical reflection, characterisation and a sense of place... This book will linger in the mind ― Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Week
The books that wowed me the most this year provided insights into other cultures while avoiding didacticism... Blessing Musariri's All That It Ever Meant takes us through Zimbabwe and a family haunted by grief in more ways than we initially realise. Seriously impressive... in a rich and varied year for YA fiction ― Irish Times, Best YA Books of 2023
A beautifully written, emotionally resonant novel about family, grief and identity ― The Observer, Best YA Books of 2023