Innards

Magogodi oaMphela Makhene’s wonderfully fresh and unique style is an absolute delight. Narration is forthright, unforgiving, intense. It tugs readers into the story as a silent cast member, equally afflicted. The dialogue, filled with honesty and heart, pops and crackles across the page. There is a fresh cadence to each story, a tweak that gives each its own energy. Makhene plays with point of view, opening with a house telling its story. After that, we are so tightly tucked in, we cannot help but follow through.

Makhene will expose the rapacity of colonialism and apartheid in this novel, laying bare the savagery and barbarism from on the ground. Families moved in cattle lorries to a barren field bordered by municipal sewage farms, crammed in tiny, dirt-floored homes. Excrement that runs in the streets when it rains and the rot of a rabid dog tossed against a front door will befoul our nostrils, clench our stomachs. We are plugged into the frenzied and disoriented mind of the tortured. Images flashing, smothering perceptions that cause us to breath deeply as we feel the bag over our own heads. We meet a grandfather whose ancestors could conjure rain for Zimbabwe’s royal crops by chanting the clan’s praise name making his living on a rusty bike selling animal waste, innards that no one else wants.

Makhene will need her reader to approach this book with patience, as many of us will stumble on the venacular. It was often a challenge to follow the conversation, but this does not stop me from rating this book as it should be rated. If we invest in Makhene, she will reward us.

Thank you to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

“innards” by magogodi aomphela makhene is a collection of beautifully written short stories about black lives in south africa. not only did i learn a lot about apartheid and the oppression and murder of black people in this county, but i was struck by the way makhene writes about her culture so vividly. from food, to clothes, to ways of thinking, “innards” has it all. offals are often looked down upon as the parts of animal no one wants to eat, but makhene weaves them into her stories in such a way that they seem inseparable from her culture.

the prose is beautiful, at times very poetic, and the stories are heartbreaking. her characters are extremely real and well developed. each and every one of these stories shocked and enlightened me on what life is truly like for black folks in south africa and how dangerous it is for people to simply exist whilst black. this collection is extremely noteworthy, and i urge you all to read it when it is published.

happy black history month!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This short story collection was a beautiful way to learn more about South African life. The descriptive language was arresting yet accessible, the framing clever but relatable. I really enjoyed this one.

"White supremacy has gnawed out our wards, often distorting who we are--even to ourselves--by pretending the entirety of our being boils down to a simple equation without meaning beyond the white gaze."

This collection of stories is wise and very needed for people of all races and ethnicities to read. It explores the harsh experience of racism through historically and culturally accurate fictional stories. I was intrigued and captivated throughout all the stories and read this collection in one sitting. I highly recommend it!