Diaspora dreams is a solid debut novel. It is emotionally moving, and well written. I also loved having an unreliable narrator, it is so well done.

Diaspora Dreams is Andrew Chatora's debut novel, capturing a part of the immigrant experience in the United Kingdom. In this incredible journey, the author, born in Zimbabwe, takes us on a rollercoaster ride through the challenges of starting a new life in a different country. This book doesn't shy away from exposing the tough economic realities and racial barriers faced by newcomers. It vividly portrays the pressures of family, the breakdown of relationships, and the severe impact on mental health that come with immigrating.

Despite these challenges, the story also expresses a deep love and pride for the homeland and a determination to hold onto one's cultural identity. It emphasizes the importance of remembering where you come from and the hope for a better future.

I could relate to many aspects of the diaspora experience, such as adjusting to new cultures with different norms and values, struggling for recognition in a new society, and dealing with racism and discrimination, even if it's subtle. I particularly loved the first half of the book, written in a journal-like style, which provided a raw and unfiltered experience. The story fearlessly tackled heavy subjects, and I appreciated that.

However, I struggled to get through the second half of the book. It felt repetitive and dragged on, and I didn't appreciate some of the degrading descriptions of women, like Zettie being sexualized. I also noticed a change in the author's writing style, which initially intrigued me but later made it difficult to engage with the chapters.

All in all, the book pretty much confirmed what we already know about the diaspora and the challenges they face. It didn't shy away from the clichés either. But hey, I'm going to focus on the positive messages it had to offer and leave those biased opinions behind.

I wanted so desperately to like this book but I just could not get into it. The writing style and pacing were just not for me. I kept reading in the hope that there would be a turning point but alas, there was not.

Hugely impactful, this haunting and thought-provoking memoir explores the lives of three women whose experiences become entwined through encounters with Kundai, a Zimbabwean immigrant man living in England. Their stories are brought to life by immersive, detailed descriptions, it looks at the place and scope of immigrants in a society in transition. It's a really tough read at times but written with such heart. A fascinating, bold read. Kudos to the author for bringing this story out.

Look, I... I got a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, but I DNFed at 25% during the vivid sex scene in which the narrator is having an affair with a (former?) student. I don't expect people to be perfect, but I was already checked out after two chapters of complaining about his wife and how manipulative and childish and "infantile" she was, and how it was an issue that she was making more money than him. I hope other people can gather something from this book, because in the parts that I did get through there was some interesting commentary on diaspora and being in limbo between two cultures and their expectations.

A captivating account about a Zimbabwean migrant's journey to England seeking “greener pastures” . However, the main character soon finds out that there are challenges to be navigated in those greener pastures. The book explores the themes of migration, race, mental health and well-being. I found the book engaging and very relevant, particularly in light of the black lives matter movement and global consciousness and awareness of race. The ending was anticlimactic and a bit confusing for me - but I look forward to reading more books by Andrew Chatora.

I really wanted to get into this book. Sadly I just couldn’t. I felt it did flow very well. The story itself was a beautiful one but the execution of the writing not quite there

I enjoyed learning about Kundai's family culture and traditions, in fact I would have loved more of that type of thing in the book. I also really liked the way Kundai stood up to the school bullies that belittled him because of his race trying to prevent him gaining the pay rises he should have been given almost automatically. It sounds like Kundai had a great rapport with his students it's a shame his personal life ended up preventing him from continuing his career. Two of his wives attempting to blacken his name by claiming he was violent towards them. His life and interaction with women just went from bad to worse.

Though I enjoyed some parts of the book there were other parts that felt out of place and overly drawn out. The last chapter was very confused and rambled on a lot. It's almost as if the book still needs some finishing/polishing. It just feels slightly 'off'.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this novella. All opinions are 100% my own.

Diaspora Dreams is a beautifully written novel about a Zimbabwean man’s experience living and working within the UK. The writing was captivating and I couldn’t put it down.

I’ll openly admit to not noticing the themes of mental health throughout and didn’t realise the importance of the final chapter until reading other reviews. I just thought the final chapter was out of place and random.

Kundai arrives in England in 2002 from Zimbabwe. He meets his pregnant wife Kay. Kundai arrives on a tourist visa and later is able to gain through many passing visas, citizenship. Kundai tells his story as a memoir of a Zimbabwean immigrant to England, the struggles due to racism to gain and maintain work as an English teacher, the battles of poverty and the diaspora dream.

I struggled a lot at the start of this story. The way Kundai and Kay’s relationship goes at the start of the story in Kundai’s blunt description. I didn’t find myself enjoying the story until about 40% in and something in the story telling changed for me. This Novella packs a punch and leaves you angry about the immigrant experience.

My thanks to NetGalley and Kharis Publishing for this copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

This was such an emotionally moving book, and I realised how all the singular events that happen to Kundai Mafirakureva built up to have unfortunate and upsetting impacts on his mental health towards the end. As a Zimbabwean migrant coming to the UK, he realises early on that life isn’t as welcoming as one would hope. Alongside relationships breaking down and not having the opportunity to work to one’s full potential upon arrival to the UK, there’s a lot that resonated with me. We see how friendships and relationships with one’s community back home change as due to requests for financial assistance which becomes overwhelming.

There’s a lot of reference to the Black Lives Matter movement, as is expected given that he is at the receiving end of blatant discrimination, prejudice, bullying and professional harassment from colleagues and those senior to him. I appreciate that the author doesn’t single out Kundai experiencing daily racism, as there’re other black folks who experience the same. We see institutional neglect, police not wanting to get involved to protect black men, but not withholding from the systematic bias against black bodies, especially in the domestic sphere.

His love for teaching is so apparent, and it’s quite shocking to see how Kundai is always demeaned and put down by his employers. He develops so much throughout the book, but it also comes with becoming more susceptible to destruction at the hands of others. After all, he is only a clog in a system trying to get rid of him.

Kundai becomes more and more vulnerable to hurt and pain. I do think that he’s not completely innocent as he does make terrible mistakes in his marriage and relationships, and I do question the accuracy of some accounts. However, when I reached the end of the book I realised why his accounts were questionable in the first place. I really liked reading this book and would definitely go through it again.

Diaspora Dreams is a very well written novella that had me tearing my hair out throughout and then somehow tied up everything in the final few pages and changed my opinions drastically.

The Story is written from Kundai's perspective, an immigrant from Zimbabwe. The main theme of the novel is immigration and the desperate acts that people will stoop to in order to gain legal status in the UK. However I found him a very unreliable narrator and was left with question after question as the narrative unfolded, I later felt that this was deliberate and, whilst I can't say much without spoiling it, I couldn't be more glad that I stuck it out to the end.

This book had me questioning my own morality and opinions and sparked a couple of super engaging debates with my partner as I struggled to come to terms with the realities of life as a minority in the country that has always been home to me. And whilst some of his assertions I did find questionable and thought that he missed a point or two, this only helps to add to the impact of this book by making the reader really think. A very absorbing novel, I would recommend to anyone interested in themes of racism and immigration in the UK.

Diaspora Dreams resonated well with me as an immigrant having encountered similar experiences as narrated by the central protagonist Kundai.

Chatora is a master wordsmith who skilfully tells the all too familiar story of the African migrant far from home, struggling to show he is equally human, equally (if not better) skilled and equally deserving of opportunity and reward. It is a sad but appropriate indictment of the society we live in that speaks of equality but in reality still treats people of colour as second class citizens, regardless of them being fellow citizens and taxpayers. This is my lived experience.

Chatora's focus on family disintegration and mental health challenges is also worthy of note. Again, these are genuine pain points that will hit hard and likely generate much needed discussion on largely hidden issues. This book is a real reminder that living in the 'diaspora' does not automatically make everything better. Instead, it creates new challenges and situations that can shred families and even one's sanity apart. I thoroughly enjoyed the book's trajectory right up to the very end.

This will be a harsh review: I was very interested in reading Chatora's story. The story of a Zimbabwean immigrant to the UK. But what was supposed to be a novella about his struggles adjusting to his new life in a new country, turned out to be the incoherent ramblings of a bitter man that seems to hate his ex-wife and extended family. Followed by a lewd description of an English woman's body, named Zettie, with whom he has an affair behind his wife's back. It's obvious he thinks he's in the right in most of the scenarios he describes even if he magnanimously tells the reader - maybe I was wrong? - only to go on to another torrent of hate against women that somehow slighted him. Or friends that exploited him. It would have been interesting to know if he paid the 5000,- pounds for the friend's daughter's intuition fee. And why was he suddenly allowed to work as a teacher, even though he overstayed his visitor's visa - basically an illegal immigrant, although I hate the word illegal applied to a human being? Didn't he feel paranoid that someone would find out? Didn't that strain his relationships with others? Sadly, Kundai doesn't answer these questions.

I had to quit reading after I was a third through the book. I just couldn't take it anymore. The writing isn't something to write home about either. It isn't structured well. Often times there are word repetitions as I have demonstrated in the preceding sentence. One example from the book I can still remember: "(...) gifted with the gift of (...) "

I am sorry, but this just wasn't for me and I can't think of an appropriate audience either. I think the book cover is nice, but the title and the blurb are misleading.

P.S.: He writes that he dislikes his second name Andrew and yet, the book is authored by Andrew Chatora and not Kundai Chatora. Interesting...

Thanks to the advance copy nonetheless. Maybe the rest of the book is better? I don't know and I don't care to find out. Sorry.