Mati’s family has been devasted by the death of Mati’s mother. Her Baba has withdrawn, her sister Chichi is rebelling, and her young brother Tana is lost without someone there for him.
Then Baba decided they need a change in scenery so takes the family from their home in England for an extended camping holiday in his native Zimbabwe.
Accompanying Mati is Meticais, with whom only Mati can see and converse. Meticais’ role is of mentor, dispensing observations and wisdom.
With plot twists this is aimed at acceptance of grief, love, and family.

When It’s Your Turn For Midnight is a YA novel about girls and women in Zimbabwe who forge unbreakable bonds which make them an unstoppable force.

Chiante’s world is turned upside down when she finds out her Baba is not who she thought he was. She runs away to her grandmother and seeks solace with her and her friends. These elders were brought together by bonds of war and have stayed together due to the sisterhood they created. They sing, dance, drink and run a fashion up-cycling business. Chiante learns how they work, trying to delve into the secrets and puzzle of her family’s past.

This book is extraordinarily well written and it is an important representation of found family, and how this can be just as (and sometimes more) important than blood relations.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.