All That It Ever Meant

Mati and her family are being taken – reluctantly – to Zimbabwe. It is a family in mourning following the death of their mother. Relationships are strained especially between seventeen-year-old ChiChi and their father who is having difficulty coping. Tana the youngest scarcely speaks. We see the whole expedition through the dispassionate eyes of Mati who is in the middle – the fights, the disasters, the moments of joy, the gradual acceptance as they travel through an exciting new landscape. But who is Meticais, whose exotic costumes are constantly changing?

This is an interesting subtle narrative. Mati tells the story building up portraits of each character – her clever father, Chichi the elder sister and Tana who has his own problems. The language is direct, contemporary without being colloquial. Mati, herself, steps off the page; she has an authenticity that is immediately engaging. We meet Meticais – but what do they represent? The costumes and hairstyles that change with each appearance seem to be significant. Perhaps, they reflect aspects of Mati herself. Because all is not quite as it seems. We certainly get to know Mati, herself as she observes her family – and this is the important element. Mati is an observer, she has apparent agency but…The conclusion provides a twist that observant readers may have subconsciously picked up as the story progresses. Musariri explores family grief and resolution in an intelligent, clever way that would resonate with a thinking reader – for ‘life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity’. This is a stylish new voice from a debut author to be welcomed.