10 outstanding books by African authors you should read in May

1. The Happy Marriage by Tahar Ben Jelloun (Translated by André Naffis-Sahely)

In The Happy Marriage, a painter tells the story how his marriage collapsed as he is recovering from a stroke that he blames his wife for provoking; when his wife reads his account of these events, she gives her own side of the story.

2. The Maestro, the Magistrate & the Mathematician by Tendai Huchu

Revolving around three different characters, all from Zimbabwe, all far from their homeland, all facing their own challenges, thoughts of belonging, loss, identity and love as they attempt to find a place for themselves in Britain.

3.The Lights of Pointe-Noire by Alain Mabanckou (Translated by Helen Stevenson)

Following up from Tomorrow I’ll be Twenty, the first volume of his memoir, The Lights of Pointe Noire is an account of Mabanckou’s return to his hometown, after decades abroad.

4. This House is not for Sale by E.C Osondu

This book tells a powerful tale of an average Nigerian family and community.

This novel paints a vivid, fully imagined portrait of an extraordinary African family and the house that holds them together. It also touches on some of the big, familiar themes in Nigerian writing: the city, poverty, disease, religion, corruption, gender and sexuality.

5.Whitefly by Abdelilah Hamdouchi (Translated by Jonathan Smolin)

Described as the first Arabic detective novel translated into English, Four bodies wash up on a Tangiers beach, and Detective Laafrit of the city’s Criminal Investigations Unit must unravel who they are, why they died, and who – if anyone – is to blame.

6. The Reactive by Masande Ntshanga

This is a novel about AIDS and drugs: set in the period in which the South African government refused to acknowledge the AIDS crisis, it’s the story of a group of young men who sold anti-retroviral medication to those who couldn’t access the medication.

7. Easy Motion Tourist by Leye Adenle

Easy Motion Tourist is a compelling crime novel set in contemporary Lagos. It features Guy Collins, a British hack who stumbles into the murky underworld of the city.

A woman’s mutilated body is discarded by the side of a club near one of the main hotels in Victoria Island. Collins is a bystander and is picked up by the police, as a potential suspect. Easy Motion Tourist pulsates with the rhythms of Lagos and entertains from beginning to end.

8. Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun by Sarah Ladipo Manyika

Dr Morayo Da Silva is a cosmopolitan Nigerian woman, living in San Francisco. On the cusp of 75, she makes the most of life, taking road trips in her vintage Porsche, chatting to strangers, and reminiscing about characters from her favourite novels. When an accident crushes her independence, Morayo is forced to rely on friends and chance encounters to help keep her sanity.

9. Seasons of Crimson Blossoms by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim

Set in a conservative Hausa society, Season of Crimson Blossoms tells the story of a 55 year old widow who has an illicit affair with a street rebel half her age.

Characters in this book de-stereotype societal held norms and this is why South African novelist Zoe Wicomb described it as “a powerful and compelling debut!"

10. A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa

Short listed for the prestigious Man Booker International Prize 2016, A General Theory of Oblivion is a wild patchwork of a novel that tells the story of Angola through Ludo, a woman who bricks herself into her apartment on the eve of Angolan independence.

READ: 10 awesome books by Black writers you should read in April