Nervous Conditions + The Book of Not + This Mournable Body: Nervous Conditions Trilogy [B2046]

2021 PB reprints (all in gift-worthy condition) of the 1998-2018 original novels by famed Zimbabwean author, filmmaker and playright Tsitsi Dangarembga. The Nervous Conditions trilogy following the protagonist Tambudzai through post-colonial Zimbabwe, and includes the books Nervous Conditions (1988), The Book of Not (2006), and This Mournable Body (2018) - Searing novels about the obstacles facing women in Zimbabwe, by one of the country's most notable authors.

The series explores themes of gender, race, colonialism, and the struggle for independence and identity, with the final book being a Booker Prize finalist. The first novel introduces 13-year-old Tambudzai as she leaves her rural home for a mission school, confronting the complexities of education, family, and the "nervous conditions" of her society. Tambudzai's story continues in The Book of Not as she navigates her education and the transition from white-minority rule to an independent Zimbabwe. The final installment finds Tambudzai as a middle-aged woman struggling with the harsh realities of post-colonial life, leading to a psychological breaking point.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Against the backdrop of Rhodesia becoming Zimbabwe (in 1980) this is a coming of age story, beautifully written."; "Something about Tsitsi Dangarembga's writing is so singular. It can be very drawn-out and almost abstract at times, and then when some of the meaning comes out it really hits you. Sad that this is the end for Tambudzai! I would love a fourth book about her later years..."; "I loved these books. I felt so bad for Tambu but these books are super super good. If you read Nervous Conditions you should read the rest of the series. Tsitsi does a fantastic job representing life for zimbabwean women"; "I love this series and I love, no matter how painful it is, sitting in the discomfort of Tambu's intense mental colonization, her nervous condition. Her hyper-vigilance, her intense shame and self-criticism, all feel too real and suffocating. Dangarembga is a phenomenal storyteller."; "I keep loving the tone of the narrative that follows Tambu's thoughts. What's odd is that despite not approving of so many decisions that Tambu makes, I still fully cheer for her against everyone else. What an amazingly written character she is!"; ""