This is a modern classic in African Literature and now rivals Salt Houses for my favourite book of the year. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga is a semi-autobiographical bildungsroman based in 1960s and 70s post colonial Zimbabwe (what was then known as Rhodesia).

Nervous Conditions intertwines topics of : colonialism, misogyny and patriarchal cultures (most [though not all!] cultures are patriarchal, but lots of cultures are not patriarchal in the same ways and we can see the differences between the ones she experiences), as well as capitalism and poverty, the adult vs. child, religious morality, internalized racism, mental health, motherhood and probably others that overlap as well as contradict.

I underlined lines on almost every page and wrote notes on half of those, probably. It's a book well suited for analysis, conversation and deep thought, but it's also one that aligns you emotionally with this small person who seems so confused and wants the best for herself and others, in every situation.

This is over a five star rating for me. I think everything in this book is very thoughtfully crafted and intricately highlighted. It's beautiful and deserves all the praise it's gotten.