Happy Pub Day to “Before the Mango Ripens” by Afabwaje Kurian
“BEFORE THE MANGO RIPENS is one of those rare novels that seems to capture the whole world between its covers. Afabwaje Kurian choreographs and cross-cuts among so many elements of language and beliefs, cultures and histories, and she does so on so many scales—from the individual to the familial, the communal to the national, and to the marvelously cosmic as well—and she does all that with such clear-eyed artfulness, elegance, and seriousness, that no summary or paraphrase can approach an adequate description of its riches. Just turn to page one and start reading."— Paul Harding, Pulitzer Prize Award winning author of TINKERS
April 1970: In newly independent Nigeria, a young man named Zanya works as a faithful translator and aide for the American missionaries who have set up post in his town of Rabata. When Zanya experiences “a miracle of fire” that propels him to prominence, he ignites a vision for Africans to take control of the Rabata mission station, leading to a major rift with the Americans.
As tensions mount and the winds of independence galvanize the nation, the lives of townspeople and missionaries intertwine: Jummai, a domestic worker for the missionaries, who becomes pregnant and must keep her lover’s identity a secret; Tebeya, a progressive Dublin-educated doctor from the wealthiest family in Rabata, who makes a bold decision to take control of the mission clinic; and Katherine Parson, a mother of two, who longs for the comforts of the American Midwest and colludes with an unlikely conspirator to bring her family home.
As Zanya’s story spreads, half-truths and hypocrisies are exposed, loyalties are questioned, and lives endangered. Brimming over with faith, disillusionment, and the search for belonging, Afabwaje Kurian’s debut announces a brilliant new talent for readers of Imbolo Mbue and Chimamanda Adichi.
Click here to get your copy of Before the Mango Ripens!
about the author
Afabwaje Kurian received her MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her short fiction has appeared in Callaloo, Crazyhorse, The Bare Life Review, Joyland Magazine, and McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern. She has received residencies from Ucross, Vermont Studio Center, and Ragdale and has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa and for its International Writing Program. She was born in Nigeria, and grew up in the DC area and the Midwest.