Nadifa Mohamed enjoys Long Time Coming

"I have finally finished Long Time Coming: Short Writings from Zimbabwe; it travelled with me to Somaliland, Australia and Norway! I loved the insight it gave into everyday life in Zimbabwe; the bus rides, weddings, rivalries that go on despite political unheavals. It is a crucial addition to what we hear about Zimbabwe from the minds of writers intimately connected to the country. I especially enjoyed Monireh Jassat's A Lazy Sunday Afternoon, Petina Gappah's The Cracked, Pink Lips of Rosie's Bridegroom, Mathew Chokuwenga's 10 Lanigan Avenue and Linda Msebele's The Chicken Bus."

Nadifa Mohamed's debut novel, Black Mamba Boy won the 2010 Betty Trask Prize, is shortlisted for the 2010 Guardian First Book Award and has been shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. Set in 1930s Somalia, the novel charts one boy's long walk to freedom through dangerous, conflict ridden EastAfrica, based on the true story of the author's father's life.