Send Her Back and Other Stories - Munashe Kaseke

Author: Munashe Kaseke

Genre: Short Story Anthology, African Cultural Fiction

Rating: 3.9 stars.

A thought-provoking anthology set around the experiences of Zimbabwean women in their own country and/or as immigrants in the USA.

The sixteen stories in this collection are all linked in their theme. Each is from a woman’s perspective, each woman is of Zimbabwean background, most have emigrated to the US in hope of a better life, and most are struggling to make ends meet in their new country. The stories are told in a very blunt manner. There’s no beating about the bush, nor is there any attractive façade to cover the darkness underneath. Many stories left me infuriated, sometimes at the characters, sometimes at the situation.

The writing approach is quite varied, with first person, third person and even second person narratives. There are plenty of Shona words and phrases in the narrative. (I would have liked a glossary for these. Not all of their meanings were guessable.) The author’s note at the end is worth a read as she details out why so many of the stories are “heartbreaking, harrowing, and hopeless”.

The commonality of the theme across the tales works both ways. The topic unifies the entire book into an impactful experience, with each story tackling the theme in its own way. The stories feel very authentic too. But after a point, there’s a sense of stagnation coming in as you feel the repetitiveness and the dreariness. Not just because the tales are gloomy but also because the ideas feel recycled across multiple stories at times – scholarship woes, multiple jobs, white peoples’ attitude towards “outsiders”, misogynistic thinking,… To add to it, most of the stories focus only on negative experiences. It becomes very heavy to take in after a point. The anthology would certainly work much better if you don’t read it in one go but spread it out over a few days.

I read this over the course of a week, and hence the stories clicked well with me, though I neither am an immigrant nor am much aware of Zimbabwean culture and thinking. The straightforward writing was much to my liking, with the well-rounded narratives, the detailed character building and the impactful endings (not necessarily providing closure) delivering an outstanding short story experience.

As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the sixteen stories, eleven reached/crossed the 4 star mark. Most of the rest fell between 3-3.5 stars, with only one story going below 3. My top favourites from this collection were:

• Return to the Land of Giant Suns – One of the few positive stories in this book, offered much to think about - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
• Unseen – A girl seeking attention by acting out. Hardly any time would you see a female character depicted this way. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
• Torture in Minnesota – What a snowy winter means to an immigrant. My favourite from this collection. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
• Not So Micro – How you are always an “outsider” because of your skin colour. Loved the intelligence and realism in this story. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
• Dear Aunt Vimbai – The only novella length story, but what character building! Outstanding! - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

Definitely an anthology I would recommend. Would work for those interested in knowing about a different culture, reading about feminist/misogynistic issues, or learning about immigrant problems.

3.9 stars, based on the average of my ratings for the individual stories.

My thanks to Mukana Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “Send Her Back and Other Stories”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.