Mwana

Set in postcolonial Kinshasa, on the banks of an immense river ruled by an iron man in a leopard hat, this novel by Valerie Kim-Thuy Larsen reveals the private world of a little girl who lives with her family in Apartment 3C at the Building Kasai. Witnessed by the gatekeeper, the houseboy and the cook, the little girl is unaware of, though not untouched by the social and political turmoil of the city. Her Kinshasa is not the heart of darkness, a metropolis of extreme poverty and obscene wealth, of military power and struggle for access to the most basic of needs. Her Kinshasa is middle class, conventional and routine. And yet, staying well within the boundaries of her deceptively sheltered world, the little girl discovers how truly astonishing life is when you simply open your eyes and look around.

"Mwana" will appeal to readers interested in memory, trauma, mixed race and bilingual identities, postcolonial imaginaries and representations of Africa.