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Title details for The Theory of Flight by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu - Available

The Theory of Flight

by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
ebook
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As Imogen Zula Nyoni, aka Genie, lies in a coma at Mater Dei Hospital after having suffered through a long illness, her family and friends struggle to come to terms with her impending death. This is the story of Genie, who has gifts that transcend time and space. It is also the story of her forebears - Baines Tikiti, who, because of his wanderlust, changed his name and ended up walking into the Indian Ocean; his son, Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, who, during the war, took as his nom de guerre Golide Gumede and who became obsessed with flight; and Golide's wife, Elizabeth Nyoni, a country-and-western singer self-styled after Dolly Parton, blonde wig and all. With the lightest of touches, and with an overlay of magical-realist beauty, this novel sketches, through the lives of a few families and the fate of a single patch of ground, decades of national history (a country in Southern Africa that is never named) - from colonial occupation through the freedom struggle, to the devastation wrought by the sojas, the HIV virus, and The Man Himself. At turns mysterious and magical, but always honest, The Theory of Flight explores the many ways we lose those we love before they die.

Praise for The Theory of Flight

Winner of the 2019 Barry Ronge Fiction Prize

"This is not a tale about morality or the vagaries of war, although these are real issues in the novel. It is, rather, a clever reimagination of childhood, family, community and power in a postcolonial Africa, with a generous dose of magic. Genie is a charming character, and witnessing her coming of age is an intimate experience. The theory of flight comprises a complex plot, and there are plenty of personalities who are not easily forgotten. Ndlovu manages to keep the reader reined in throughout this rolling tale, taking on heavy issues such as war, patriarchy, corruption and disease without weighing the spirit down. A triumphant story told in a magical way." Karabo Kgoleng, Litnet

"This is an extraordinary novel, painted in luminous gold, silver and blue with the finest of brushes. A mystery shrouds Genie's life and death which is revealed slowly and deftly with the author's characteristic delicacy of touch and fine taste in metaphor. A rare achievement, exquisite in its language and insight. I am enriched." Jennifer de Klerk, Artlink

"The Theory of Flight may be Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu's first novel, but it's written with the kind of excellence and detail one would expect of an author with decades of experience. Enchanting...you feel as if you're part of the very fabric this interconnected story is woven on. The book is a delightful, heartrending, thrilling and heartbreaking read that will leave the reader sad that they couldn't be a part of Genie's short yet impactful life." – Pam Magwaza, Drum Magazine

"Ndlovu is a gifted storyteller, skillfully interweaving the real and the magical, beauty and devastation, historical and personal perspectives, simplicity and complexity. She has a vivid imagination and the tale shimmers with magic...A marvelous and unusual flight of fancy. When Genie dies, and flies away on huge silver wings, she will take a little piece of your heart with her." Kate Sidley, Sunday Times

"[Ndlovu has a] glorious gift of storytelling." Diane de Beer, Business Day.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 25, 2021

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781946395450

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781946395450
      • File size: 2338 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from November 16, 2020
      An unnamed African country’s violence and AIDS epidemic frame a woman’s personal loss in Zimbabwean writer and filmmaker Ndlovu’s epic, supremely well-crafted debut. The novel begins at the moment of Genie Nyoni’s death from AIDS, when she is seen to “fly away on a giant pair of silver wings.” From there the novel details Genie’s family history, her childhood, and the intertwining lives of those close to her. Genie is the daughter of revolutionary idealist Golide Gumede, who expresses his belief in the power of flight as a metaphor for hope, and country-western singer Elizabeth Nyoni. When Genie is nine, soldiers raze her village, destroy her home, and massacre several of her neighbors. Still, she maintains a radiance and refusal to submit to despair, and as the years pass, her bright outlook affects those around her, such as the man who becomes her lover and then a famous artist. The truth about the early scene of violence in her village, which neighbors had pinned on her for Gumede’s revolutionary activities, is only revealed at the end, along with the source of her HIV infection. Ndlovu’s deeply moving and complex novel is astonishing for the amount of hope it evokes despite the darkness that’s so pervasive in Genie’s world, where she creates her own reality in order survive. This transcendent and powerful testament to the indomitable human spirit is not to be missed.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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