September 14, 2015

The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu | Book Review

Vimbai Hozo makes a big first impression on the beginning three pages of The Hairdresser of
Harare. She's self-assured, blunt, conscious of her own greatness in Harare and not afraid to own it. In her words she's the "Queen Bee" and her place of employment - Khumalo Hair and Beauty Treatment Salon - is her domain. Being regarded as the best hairdresser in all of Harare, which she says equates to being "the best in the whole country", feels good and neither her employer nor her fellow employees pose a competitive threat. Then one day Dumisani Ncube walks into the salon seeking employment. He's confident, very highly skilled and spontaneous. He has a customer service approach that's very different from Vimbai's and much more successful. Vimbai's dethronement seems imminent with his arrival and then the story takes a different turn from what you might have expected.

The Hairdresser of Harare was great from the beginning. I got excited because Tendai Huchu's another gifted Zimbabwean author to rally around after my 2013 introduction to NoViolet Bulawayo. Even though The Hairdresser of Harare is set in Zimbabwe, the commonality of the African experience shines through with slightly varying details. Once we leave the salon drama and power struggle and delve into the personal lives of the main characters I wasn't as excited as I was in the beginning but I still found the novel engaging. Tendai Huchu builds up to a "big reveal" that I wish had been a chapter in the character's life and not his whole story. I wasn't too pleased with the ending of this novel. It's a hasty wrapping up of the story but it still works in some way. The Hairdresser of Harare is entertaining and humorous. It's a fine debut by Tendai Huchu.
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READ:
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo - My Thoughts

[Image via Amazon]

6 comments:

  1. Nice review Osondu! I should read this. This is the 3rd review I've seen of the book this month. I think the book is now available in the US too. I have Huchu's second book, but the font size is so small, so I haven't been motivated to read it yet lol. I should look into getting 'The Hairdresser of Harare' now, thanks to your review. Funny that you mention another Zim author, NoViolet Bulawayo - her book 'We Need New Names' annoyed me sooo much. Have you read it?

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    1. Thank you Darkowaa! Yeah, I saw it on some lists this year and I bought it. It was published in 2010 so I'm late to the party. Yeah, it's available in the U.S. cause I bought mine on Amazon and had it shipped to my house. I'll search for his other titles. I love We Need New Names!!! Why did it annoy you?

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  2. I don’t know how should I give you thanks! I am totally stunned by your article. You saved my time. Thanks a million for sharing this article.

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  3. Awesome work. Just wanted to drop a comment and say I am new to your blog and really like what I am reading.Thanks for the share.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by! I'm glad you left a comment. I appreciate it. :)

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