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The Creation of Half-Broken People: A Novel
Stupendous African Gothic, by the winner of Yale University’s Windham–Campbell Prize
Showcasing African Gothic at its finest, The Creation of Half-Broken People is the extraordinary tale of a nameless woman plagued by visions. She works for the Good Foundation and its museum filled with artifacts from the family’s exploits in Africa, the Good family members all being descendants of Captain John Good, of King Solomon’s Mines fame.
Our heroine is happy with her association with the Good family, until one day she comes across a group of protestors outside the museum. Instigating the group is an ancient woman, who our heroine knows is not real. She knows too that the secrets of her past have returned. After this encounter, the nameless woman finds herself living first in an attic and then in a haunted castle, her life anything but normal as her own intangible inheritance unfolds through the women who inhabit her visions.
With a knowing nod to classics of the Gothic genre, Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu weaves the threads of a complex colonial history into the present through people “half-broken” by the stigmas of race and mental illness, all the while balancing the humanity of her characters against the cruelty of empire in a hypnotic, haunting account of love and magic.
Showcasing African Gothic at its finest, The Creation of Half-Broken People is the extraordinary tale of a nameless woman plagued by visions. She works for the Good Foundation and its museum filled with artifacts from the family’s exploits in Africa, the Good family members all being descendants of Captain John Good, of King Solomon’s Mines fame.
Our heroine is happy with her association with the Good family, until one day she comes across a group of protestors outside the museum. Instigating the group is an ancient woman, who our heroine knows is not real. She knows too that the secrets of her past have returned. After this encounter, the nameless woman finds herself living first in an attic and then in a haunted castle, her life anything but normal as her own intangible inheritance unfolds through the women who inhabit her visions.
With a knowing nod to classics of the Gothic genre, Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu weaves the threads of a complex colonial history into the present through people “half-broken” by the stigmas of race and mental illness, all the while balancing the humanity of her characters against the cruelty of empire in a hypnotic, haunting account of love and magic.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2025
17 people are currently reading
4537 people want to read
About the author
Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
5 books79 followersSiphiwe Gloria Ndlovu is a writer, filmmaker and academic who holds a PhD from Stanford University, as well as master’s degrees in African Studies and Film. She has published research on Saartjie Baartman and she wrote, directed and edited the award-winning short film Graffiti. Born in Zimbabwe, she currently lives and works in Johannesburg. The Theory of Flight is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 28, 2025
The Creation of Half-Broken People, by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, is definitely Gothic. We are introduced to an unnamed narrator who is literally locked away in a castle as she painstakingly writes her story and the story of other "Half-Broken" women who seem to haunt her life. Part-historical fiction, digging into the history of Zimbabwe as we are introduced to Elizabeth, Anne, and Sethikeli, women who have also had their stories obscured or completely covered by men and the passage of time. But our narrator remembers. Or hears them as they whisper their stories.
This kind of knocked my socks off. While I am not familiar with much of Zimbabwe's history, I am familiar with the societal tendency to sweep problematic or atypical women aside. Label them as mentally unstable, suffering from hysteria and placed in an asylum. Add to that the heavy yoke of colonialism and the additional rules and racial regulation that was imposed on society, is it any wonder women were a bit hysteric? And yet despite the constraints and the external definitions placed, these women fought to carve spaces for themselves, to forge their own identities and find their own bliss.
And this remarkable narrative was pulled together so beautifully by Ndlovu's prose. I read this book as a Readalong, and in our conversations the word disjointed came up a lot. It was a fitting description for this style and an underlying theme. Ndlovu's disjointed style of writing captured the sense of mental and emotional turmoil her characters experience. Suffering from untreated (or VERY poorly treated) mental illness, these women were rather disjointed, and there were pages where the thoughts flowed like stilted pictures or an old projection, flickering between coherence and something else. So you flow with the confusion until it comes around to something solid again and you gather your bearings. It meant that this was not an easy read, but it was a rewarding one. Fueled by my rage at a patriarchal system that misunderstood women and so often failed them, and my awe at this gorgeous story that, like a spider, love this intricate and beautiful web of connections and meaning that at first glance seemed rather disjointed but in the end was beautiful and stunning in eqal parts.
I do recommend checking the content warnings, however, as this book does desk with more than one heavy topic. But if you do read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
I received a copy of the book from the publisher, House of Anansi Press, and Tandem Collective, in exchange for an honest review.
This kind of knocked my socks off. While I am not familiar with much of Zimbabwe's history, I am familiar with the societal tendency to sweep problematic or atypical women aside. Label them as mentally unstable, suffering from hysteria and placed in an asylum. Add to that the heavy yoke of colonialism and the additional rules and racial regulation that was imposed on society, is it any wonder women were a bit hysteric? And yet despite the constraints and the external definitions placed, these women fought to carve spaces for themselves, to forge their own identities and find their own bliss.
And this remarkable narrative was pulled together so beautifully by Ndlovu's prose. I read this book as a Readalong, and in our conversations the word disjointed came up a lot. It was a fitting description for this style and an underlying theme. Ndlovu's disjointed style of writing captured the sense of mental and emotional turmoil her characters experience. Suffering from untreated (or VERY poorly treated) mental illness, these women were rather disjointed, and there were pages where the thoughts flowed like stilted pictures or an old projection, flickering between coherence and something else. So you flow with the confusion until it comes around to something solid again and you gather your bearings. It meant that this was not an easy read, but it was a rewarding one. Fueled by my rage at a patriarchal system that misunderstood women and so often failed them, and my awe at this gorgeous story that, like a spider, love this intricate and beautiful web of connections and meaning that at first glance seemed rather disjointed but in the end was beautiful and stunning in eqal parts.
I do recommend checking the content warnings, however, as this book does desk with more than one heavy topic. But if you do read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
I received a copy of the book from the publisher, House of Anansi Press, and Tandem Collective, in exchange for an honest review.
April 23, 2025
#ad mad love for my copy of this book @houseofanansi + @tandemcollectiveglobal #partner
Creation of Half-Broken People
“I am glad it cannot happen twice, the fever of first love. For it is a fever, and a burden, too, whatever the poets may say…,” (p. 5).
While I chose this book because of the horror genre, I wouldn’t really consider this a horror. It reads more like a historical fiction and history book than a horror. But I still enjoyed this one.
Reading this you might feel like you are one of the characters. You don’t really know what is happening, but you think you do, but you aren’t sure. The time jumps really add to that feeling.
It’s funny because the themes in this book - you actually begin to feel those yourself. It’s really something special here that the author has done. I don’t even think I can fully capture that feeling.
I enjoyed this readalong so much though. Chatting with other readers and getting their insight really made this book extra special.
Recommend, but put everything you think you know aside and enjoy the ride.
Can’t wait for the next readalong. <3
#thecreationofhalfbrokenpeople
#thecreationofhalfbrokenpeoplereadalong
Creation of Half-Broken People
“I am glad it cannot happen twice, the fever of first love. For it is a fever, and a burden, too, whatever the poets may say…,” (p. 5).
While I chose this book because of the horror genre, I wouldn’t really consider this a horror. It reads more like a historical fiction and history book than a horror. But I still enjoyed this one.
Reading this you might feel like you are one of the characters. You don’t really know what is happening, but you think you do, but you aren’t sure. The time jumps really add to that feeling.
It’s funny because the themes in this book - you actually begin to feel those yourself. It’s really something special here that the author has done. I don’t even think I can fully capture that feeling.
I enjoyed this readalong so much though. Chatting with other readers and getting their insight really made this book extra special.
Recommend, but put everything you think you know aside and enjoy the ride.
Can’t wait for the next readalong. <3
#thecreationofhalfbrokenpeople
#thecreationofhalfbrokenpeoplereadalong
May 8, 2025
I'll definitely say, this book had so much potential. I really loved the premise of it.
But maybe it was the way it was written or how it was told that threw me off. it just wasn't what I was expecting but it wasn't a bad book.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.
But maybe it was the way it was written or how it was told that threw me off. it just wasn't what I was expecting but it wasn't a bad book.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.
June 27, 2025
Picked this book up from the library new purchases. In The Creation of Half-Broken People, the unnamed biracial narrator is subsumed by marriage into the racist Good Family, who patronize the museum she works at. Trapped in her room and hallucinating, the narrator travels through the memories of her ancestors who lived in Zimbabwe.
This novel is billed as an African Gothic, but the author is clearly approaching the narrative from a litfic perspective, albeit with heavy inspiration from The Yellow Wallpaper. The narrator has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her sections are wandering and allegorical, with repeat mentions of the Good Family and the Good Foundation and their Good Children. (They are, unsurprisingly, a long line of imperialists, and not good at all). Many of the narrator's ancestors are white-passing to various degrees, and all of them grapple with what that means in a colonized country. There's a heavy-handed bit where several of the women are pale-skinned, but have a dark skinned birthmark over their heart that slowly spreads.
Overall, I found the hallucinatory frame story a bit too abstract to be compelling, but I did enjoy travelling back through history and slowly piecing together how the different timelines link together. While this book takes inspiration from the Gothic, I found it to be slightly too litfic for my tastes, but a worthwhile read overall.
This novel is billed as an African Gothic, but the author is clearly approaching the narrative from a litfic perspective, albeit with heavy inspiration from The Yellow Wallpaper. The narrator has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her sections are wandering and allegorical, with repeat mentions of the Good Family and the Good Foundation and their Good Children. (They are, unsurprisingly, a long line of imperialists, and not good at all). Many of the narrator's ancestors are white-passing to various degrees, and all of them grapple with what that means in a colonized country. There's a heavy-handed bit where several of the women are pale-skinned, but have a dark skinned birthmark over their heart that slowly spreads.
Overall, I found the hallucinatory frame story a bit too abstract to be compelling, but I did enjoy travelling back through history and slowly piecing together how the different timelines link together. While this book takes inspiration from the Gothic, I found it to be slightly too litfic for my tastes, but a worthwhile read overall.
January 11, 2026
2.5 stars
This book had so much potential, especially in the beginning. In the beginning, it felt very atmospheric and gothic, but much of that was lost as the book progressed. I felt Parts 1,2, and 3 were the strongest of the book, though I had issues with these as well. My main issue with this story is that, despite the fact that it was focused on female characters, their lives were told through the lens of the male figures in their lives. So despite it being a female-led book, it felt very male-dominated.
The writing style wasn't something that I enjoyed. There were multiple phrases repeated ad nauseum and full names repeated where simply a first name would have sufficed.
This book had so much potential, especially in the beginning. In the beginning, it felt very atmospheric and gothic, but much of that was lost as the book progressed. I felt Parts 1,2, and 3 were the strongest of the book, though I had issues with these as well. My main issue with this story is that, despite the fact that it was focused on female characters, their lives were told through the lens of the male figures in their lives. So despite it being a female-led book, it felt very male-dominated.
The writing style wasn't something that I enjoyed. There were multiple phrases repeated ad nauseum and full names repeated where simply a first name would have sufficed.
March 22, 2025
This was good but I found my attention waxing and waning around the stories of the other people. I thoroughly enjoyed the main story however and loved the writing style!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 13, 2025
"But just as I'm about to turn a corner, her voice booms: 'Kindred!' I turn around to see her smiling at me, her eyes crinkling with kindness. 'I knew you too were on a mission,' she says. 'Misremembered, misbegotten and forgotten women,' I say. 'Misremembered, misbegotten and forgotten women,' she echoes, her voice filling the space between us before she is swallowed up by her followers again. I feel anointed."
🙀😭🌬
I'm making a wild claim and calling The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu my favourite book of 2025 so far. But as I say that, I ask why. And I think it's the Africanacity of it, how I could feel the oral tradition of the original people of this continent in her writing. The story kept interrupting herself to give better context to what the narrative was leading to, as if the author is sitting across from me, telling it to me in vivid imagery and beautiful language and falling over her own words in excitement to tell me about the women, the characters, the people that history has neglected to write into books. It's also the way in which the author weaved the emotions and heartbeat of the African experience ~ of colonialism and madness and those who were here first ~ into a narrative that's flooded with familiar references, new experiences and utter richness. It's also the women I got to see, the misremembered, misbegotten and forgotten women of my continent. And the silver wings, buried and stolen and hung up in museums for all the world except themselves to see. I too feel anointed.
What a gift we have in Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu.
🙀😭🌬
I'm making a wild claim and calling The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu my favourite book of 2025 so far. But as I say that, I ask why. And I think it's the Africanacity of it, how I could feel the oral tradition of the original people of this continent in her writing. The story kept interrupting herself to give better context to what the narrative was leading to, as if the author is sitting across from me, telling it to me in vivid imagery and beautiful language and falling over her own words in excitement to tell me about the women, the characters, the people that history has neglected to write into books. It's also the way in which the author weaved the emotions and heartbeat of the African experience ~ of colonialism and madness and those who were here first ~ into a narrative that's flooded with familiar references, new experiences and utter richness. It's also the women I got to see, the misremembered, misbegotten and forgotten women of my continent. And the silver wings, buried and stolen and hung up in museums for all the world except themselves to see. I too feel anointed.
What a gift we have in Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu.
May 3, 2025
Sometimes you have to sit and think about the book you've read before you can explain what you thought. The Creation of Half Broken People was a phenomenal read for me. The way the author captured the feelings of the anonymous woman's joy and pain so vividly. I truly ached for all that she had to suffer and endure at the hands of the people who we're supposed to love her whole-heartedly, her parents. Then the historical journey we got to go on through the lives of the ghosts that haunted her was gut wrenching, loving and magical. The author has a unique style of writing but once you get lost in the tale your completely engulfed and eagerly waiting to see what happened next.
August 24, 2025
The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu is a hypnotic, genre-defying novel that blends African Gothic with psychological realism, colonial critique, and magical inheritance. It’s a haunting meditation on identity, memory, and the invisible wounds carried across generations. As my first read by Ndlovu, I found her voice both lyrical and incisive like Toni Morrison filtered through a surrealist lens. At the center is a nameless woman, a museum worker for the Good Foundation, whose life begins to unravel after a strange encounter with a protestor outside the museum. Her anonymity is deliberate she is every woman shaped by empire, patriarchy, and mental illness. The Good family, descendants of the colonial adventurer Captain John Good, are both benefactors and symbols of inherited violence. The ancient woman who appears outside the museum is a spectral figure, triggering visions and memories that blur the line between past and present. The women in her visions ghosts, ancestors, or fragments of self are richly drawn and emotionally resonant. Ndlovu’s characters are “half-broken” not because they are weak, but because they’ve survived systems designed to fracture them. The novel unfolds like a dream: nonlinear, atmospheric, and deeply interior. The protagonist moves from the museum to an attic, then to a haunted castle, each space more surreal than the last. The plot is less about external action and more about internal reckoning. Through visions and fragmented memories, the woman uncovers the truth of her own lineage and the cost of her silence. This is not a conventional thriller or mystery it’s a psychological excavation wrapped in gothic trappings. Colonialism, mental illness, and gendered trauma are central, but Ndlovu never reduces her characters to symbols. The novel critiques the museum as a site of sanitized history, where artifacts are divorced from the violence that produced them. The prose is poetic, often elliptical, with echoes of African oral storytelling and gothic literature. There’s a quiet magic throughout visions, hauntings, and ancestral whispers that feels earned rather than ornamental. The Creation of Half-Broken People is not a book that offers easy answers or tidy resolutions. It’s a mirror held up to the past, asking what it means to inherit pain, and whether healing requires remembering or forgetting. Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu has crafted a novel that’s both intellectually rigorous and emotionally raw a story that lingers like a half-remembered dream. For readers who crave depth, ambiguity, and beauty in their fiction, this is a must-read.
November 9, 2025
I’ll start this off by stating that I do not believe I am necessarily the target audience for this book, but that there is still a lot that can be taught to someone who isn’t specifically being told.
The book gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, the character writings set in a very well realised past, where the realities of such a time and place were ever present, made the happier moments stand out much more than they otherwise would. On the other hand, I feel like there are almost too many ‘side characters’ that development of the main character is stagnated. She’s left feeling quite bland, with somewhat contradictory personality traits. It feels like she required a substantial amount more time to grow as a character, so much so that the ending feels incredibly rushed, with no real resolution to the familial conflict nor the prophesied actions she is to take. Mix that with the real life pandemic entering into the fictional world, and I’m left feeling like this is almost a prequel to what the main story should be.
On the writing side of things, again I am conflicted. Whenever we are taken back in time to the storied pasts of the forgotten women, I am actively intrigued by their circumstances and how they lived and loved within these worlds. As such, whenever we jump back to the present, I am actually rather disappointed not to get to spend more time with those individual stories. They captivated me so much more than what I suppose we can call a ‘vessel’ for the modern day equivalent. I am aware that the main character (who I shall keep nameless for sake of spoilers) was written as a trope on gothic inspired heroines, and as such she has certain stereotypes that I find to be incongruous with serious storytelling. This is not to say that I do not still have an enjoyable time to see her develop, just that it feels inauthentic in places and rushed.
My only other gripe, which is purely subjective, is the overuse of repetition. When used sparingly, it is very effective at driving home a point. In this book however, any strong imagery is repeated ad nauseam, so much so that I find I skip whole paragraphs since it becomes a chore to read the same sentiment over and over again. Again, I am sure that for other readers this might not be as bothersome, but perhaps I am not accustomed to this style of writing.
Overall, I did have a positive experience with the book. I felt immersed in the situations of all of the characters (to lesser or greater extents, sure), but I feel like I needed a more concrete resolution for at least some of the conflicts. I still feel better off for having read it.
The book gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, the character writings set in a very well realised past, where the realities of such a time and place were ever present, made the happier moments stand out much more than they otherwise would. On the other hand, I feel like there are almost too many ‘side characters’ that development of the main character is stagnated. She’s left feeling quite bland, with somewhat contradictory personality traits. It feels like she required a substantial amount more time to grow as a character, so much so that the ending feels incredibly rushed, with no real resolution to the familial conflict nor the prophesied actions she is to take. Mix that with the real life pandemic entering into the fictional world, and I’m left feeling like this is almost a prequel to what the main story should be.
On the writing side of things, again I am conflicted. Whenever we are taken back in time to the storied pasts of the forgotten women, I am actively intrigued by their circumstances and how they lived and loved within these worlds. As such, whenever we jump back to the present, I am actually rather disappointed not to get to spend more time with those individual stories. They captivated me so much more than what I suppose we can call a ‘vessel’ for the modern day equivalent. I am aware that the main character (who I shall keep nameless for sake of spoilers) was written as a trope on gothic inspired heroines, and as such she has certain stereotypes that I find to be incongruous with serious storytelling. This is not to say that I do not still have an enjoyable time to see her develop, just that it feels inauthentic in places and rushed.
My only other gripe, which is purely subjective, is the overuse of repetition. When used sparingly, it is very effective at driving home a point. In this book however, any strong imagery is repeated ad nauseam, so much so that I find I skip whole paragraphs since it becomes a chore to read the same sentiment over and over again. Again, I am sure that for other readers this might not be as bothersome, but perhaps I am not accustomed to this style of writing.
Overall, I did have a positive experience with the book. I felt immersed in the situations of all of the characters (to lesser or greater extents, sure), but I feel like I needed a more concrete resolution for at least some of the conflicts. I still feel better off for having read it.
August 28, 2025
I'm left breathless with admiration at the scope, substance and intellectual energy that Ndlovu has put into 'The Creation of Half-Broken People'. This is my first Ndlovu novel after listening to her panel at the Franschhoek Literary Festival (2025) - it feels necessary to say that because I am aware there is a whole pantheon of her books I have missed out on and that she has a devoted following. It's an astonishing novel written in the most beautiful prose. The structure can be challenging - there's a lot to hold in one's head as it skips back and forth between characters and time frames and sometimes brutal circumstances. It's all kept together by a cast of luminously drawn, extraordinarily alive characters who move the action along in unpredictable ways, keeping the reader immersed, entertained and even amused. There's magical realism - a pair of venerated silver wings keeps popping in and out of the narrative - but there is also dark history embedded deep within the bones of this bold novel. The storylines (there are a few) feel simultaneously eccentric and incredibly wise (as it binds the colonial past to present-day Africa), an act only the best novelists are able to carry out. The simplest line I remember that somehow embodies the intricate relationships of this hugely engaging novel: "There is love, and then there is love." It's the kind of novel that demands a reader's full attention and is probably best read on its own, all in one go. It's one of those reads that will linger with me for a very long time and has been granted a spot on my 'Best books never to be given away' shelf. I do feel like there are parts I haven't fully grasped and that I might have benefitted from reading her prior works - on my TBR list. Book serendipity has it up for discussion at my next bookclub meet-up - should be interesting and enlightening!
May 3, 2025
I have been participating in a readalong for The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu. This is a complex story, starting present day with our main character, the anonymous woman, who writes a tale of three women, the misremembered woman, the misbegotten woman, and the forgotten woman. She has visions of these women and feels compelled to write their stories.
This story is an African Gothic tale but is heavy with themes of historical and women's fiction. It is often tough to read about history because of the horrors and injustices of the past, but it is equally important to read and learn from it. I haven't read much about the history of Africa, so I found that aspect of the book incredibly interesting. I loved the folklore in this book surrounding the silver wings, which were a central theme running through this book.
I liked the authours writing style. It flowed well and was easy to read. The stories of the misremembered, misbegotten, and forgotten women were like short stories within the story, and I was captivated by them. But, I also found that they made the overall story a bit disjointed. I was constantly trying to figure out the connection between the women and our main character.
The story of these four women was maddening. The treatment of women who were considered not to conform to societal expectations, throughout history, and even into today. Instantly accused of being mentally unstable, disregarded, discounted. In our main characters case, having her identity taken away, her bodily autonomy and free will stripped from her. But, what I appreciated was that it was not all doom and gloom for these women, there was love, there were people in their lives willing to support them and be by their side, it made the story more hopeful in the end.
I received a copy of this book for free, my opinions are my own.
This story is an African Gothic tale but is heavy with themes of historical and women's fiction. It is often tough to read about history because of the horrors and injustices of the past, but it is equally important to read and learn from it. I haven't read much about the history of Africa, so I found that aspect of the book incredibly interesting. I loved the folklore in this book surrounding the silver wings, which were a central theme running through this book.
I liked the authours writing style. It flowed well and was easy to read. The stories of the misremembered, misbegotten, and forgotten women were like short stories within the story, and I was captivated by them. But, I also found that they made the overall story a bit disjointed. I was constantly trying to figure out the connection between the women and our main character.
The story of these four women was maddening. The treatment of women who were considered not to conform to societal expectations, throughout history, and even into today. Instantly accused of being mentally unstable, disregarded, discounted. In our main characters case, having her identity taken away, her bodily autonomy and free will stripped from her. But, what I appreciated was that it was not all doom and gloom for these women, there was love, there were people in their lives willing to support them and be by their side, it made the story more hopeful in the end.
I received a copy of this book for free, my opinions are my own.
November 30, 2024
The Creation of Half-Broken People contained a number of interesting themes and ideas, woven through a tale with a gothic tinge and a sense of the ethereal at times. Interspersed between the main plot were the stories of the women haunting the nameless heroine. Some of these I found easy to sink myself into, but one, around the middle of the book, didn't hold my attention quite as well, though my interest sparked back again once it was over and the main story continued. The messages in this book were clear but not preaching, and the narration added to the ethereal atmosphere the story evoked. I certainly enjoyed the author's writing style and the book's narrative structure and would read more by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu in the future. Despite these positives, though, I did finish the book with no desire to dwell on it or reread it and, as mentioned, my attention did waver here and there. As such, I pondered on the best rating to give it and decided on 3.5 stars, but I would round up to a four rather than down to a three.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
May 1, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
"All the things that made her had a purpose, all created a delicate balance, and as such had to be handled with the greatest care"
This was my first time reading an African gothic. I really enjoyed Ndlovu’s writing style and how the multi-linear story came together- like pieces of a puzzle that fit and give meaning to a bigger tale. The characters are endearing and their detailed accounts add emotional depth to the story.
At the center of the novel is ‘the anonymous woman’, a complex and resilient woman whose life unfolds against the backdrop of an African city shaped by colonialism, violence, and transformation. The protagonist is plagued by visions of women that she knows are not real. Ultimately, these apparitions drive her back to the City of Kings…
The book started off really strong but somewhere in the last third, it got confusing to the point where I had to go back and reread some parts. And in the process of going back and forth, I lost a little interest. However, the writing is absolutely beautiful. There are so many quotes that I really loved. It is definitely worth a read.
"All the things that made her had a purpose, all created a delicate balance, and as such had to be handled with the greatest care"
This was my first time reading an African gothic. I really enjoyed Ndlovu’s writing style and how the multi-linear story came together- like pieces of a puzzle that fit and give meaning to a bigger tale. The characters are endearing and their detailed accounts add emotional depth to the story.
At the center of the novel is ‘the anonymous woman’, a complex and resilient woman whose life unfolds against the backdrop of an African city shaped by colonialism, violence, and transformation. The protagonist is plagued by visions of women that she knows are not real. Ultimately, these apparitions drive her back to the City of Kings…
The book started off really strong but somewhere in the last third, it got confusing to the point where I had to go back and reread some parts. And in the process of going back and forth, I lost a little interest. However, the writing is absolutely beautiful. There are so many quotes that I really loved. It is definitely worth a read.
April 25, 2025
I really enjoyed this book about women misremembered, misbegotten, and forgotten. The writing style was so easy to fall into and made these stories thoroughly enjoyable to read.
I don’t tend to read anything horror or horror adjacent but read this as part of a readalong and was pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t horror or unsettled in any way. There is the underlying sinisterness of colonization which the author weaves brilliantly into the narratives of all characters.
I did find the other characters stories a bit hard to stay engaged with if only because I kept looking for connections and they are pretty subtle.
Thank you to the publisher and tandem collective for a gifted copy of this book.
I don’t tend to read anything horror or horror adjacent but read this as part of a readalong and was pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t horror or unsettled in any way. There is the underlying sinisterness of colonization which the author weaves brilliantly into the narratives of all characters.
I did find the other characters stories a bit hard to stay engaged with if only because I kept looking for connections and they are pretty subtle.
Thank you to the publisher and tandem collective for a gifted copy of this book.
October 20, 2025
There is much in this book of the particulars of how colonization affects the daily life and prospects of the colonized. This is mainly familiar to us.
What sets this story apart from so many we've read before is that it dives into how the very myths of a colonized people are disrupted and warped. The narrator is highly 'unreliable' in the literal sense, but also intimately connected to the thread of myth and birthright of the people. She may not be in control of her own mind, but she is very sure of what is necessary.
The variety of colourful characters keep us going through several generations. These tales don't always hit, and some of the first half of the book can drag. The last part is enthralling.
What sets this story apart from so many we've read before is that it dives into how the very myths of a colonized people are disrupted and warped. The narrator is highly 'unreliable' in the literal sense, but also intimately connected to the thread of myth and birthright of the people. She may not be in control of her own mind, but she is very sure of what is necessary.
The variety of colourful characters keep us going through several generations. These tales don't always hit, and some of the first half of the book can drag. The last part is enthralling.
March 26, 2025
A friend and I were discussing this book yesterday afternoon, and I told them that I have never, so far this year, read anything more literary than THE CREATION OF HALF-BROKEN PEOPLE.
Forget the plot and the many interesting vignettes, the form and content are on another plain. Not level. We are way past levels in here.
If you are looking for exceptional storytelling, exceptional BOOKER-esque writing, this is it.
Forget the plot and the many interesting vignettes, the form and content are on another plain. Not level. We are way past levels in here.
If you are looking for exceptional storytelling, exceptional BOOKER-esque writing, this is it.
May 7, 2025
Thank you so much too House of Anansi and Tandem Global Collective for giving me the chance to read and review this book.
“A modern Gothic story set on the African continent”. I was sold from the first line of the synopsis. And the story sounded really interesting. When I started reading it I was enjoying the first little bit of the book but then it got very disjointed and I couldn’t tell who we were following. I got confused and really didn’t want to continue on but I did it for the read along. So the book may be over my head because I believe that others got more out of this read. I really wanted to but just couldn’t.
I don’t think I would recommend this to others.
“A modern Gothic story set on the African continent”. I was sold from the first line of the synopsis. And the story sounded really interesting. When I started reading it I was enjoying the first little bit of the book but then it got very disjointed and I couldn’t tell who we were following. I got confused and really didn’t want to continue on but I did it for the read along. So the book may be over my head because I believe that others got more out of this read. I really wanted to but just couldn’t.
I don’t think I would recommend this to others.
Currently reading
June 26, 2024.....
May 29, 2025
This is a book with topics that will sit with you long after reading it.I am glad I could to read this book. Most likely a book that was well written.
December 22, 2025
Whoa. This offering from Ndlovu marks intersections of histories, of horrors, of lives endured and lived. It has left me crawling and crouching and not quite ready to stand up and emerge from it.
November 21, 2025
NOMINATED for the 2026 Dublin Literary Award...a longlist of twenty will be announced in February 2026, the shortlist of six in April 2026, the winner(s) in May's festival.
Real Rating: 4.25* of five
The Publisher Says: Stupendous African Gothic, by the winner of Yale University’s Windham–Campbell Prize
A modern Gothic story set on the African continent, The Creation of Half-Broken People tells the tale of a nameless woman plagued by visions. She works for the Good Foundation and its museum, a place filled with artifacts from the family’s exploits in Africa, the Good family members all being descendants of Captain John Good, of King Solomon’s Mines fame.
Our heroine is happy with her association with the Good family, until one day she comes across a group of people protesting outside the museum. Instigating the protesters is an ancient woman, who our heroine knows is not real. The nameless woman knows too that the secrets of her past have returned. After this encounter, she finds herself living first in an attic and then in a haunted castle, her life anything but normal as her own intangible inheritance unfolds through the women who inhabit her visions.
With a knowing nod to classics of the Gothic genre, Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu weaves the threads of a complex colonial history into the present as she examines the collusion of colonialism, patriarchy, and capitalism in creating and normalizing a certain kind of womanhood.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: What I loved about this read started from the first line: "There was a time before this. I did not always live in the attic."
I defy anyone who reads my reviews not to want to know what happens next.
One thing that happens is our narrator (nameless here, and like the second Mrs. de Winter, seamlessly unobservedly nameless throughout) meets and becomes entangled with the ominously named "John B. Good IX"—did your arm hairs just prickle with anticipatory dread or is it just me?—at the scary age of twenty-one. Legally responsible, emotionally clueless. Truly a moment in one's life when The Worst can happen without any way to avoid it.
*gleeful hand-rubbing*
So the story unfolds as a heartfelt homage to the centuries of gothic novels and tales that have come before it. The events, the relationships, the emotional devastations that come to each living one of us, all occur in a logical order as demanded by the arc of acceptance in emotional maturation. The struggles, the demands we place on Life for it to conform to our momentary desires, the sudden storms of others' emotional demands blowing our lifeships ever farther from safe harbors...all present and accounted for. As an experienced purveyor of stories...she's a filmmaker, several earlier novels to her credit, graduate of Stanford's film studies program...Author Ndlovu doesn't slow her roll for anything unnecessary, or lard in the always tempting useless "grace note" that reduces the reader's momentum.
Lush descriptive language will always get praise from me, I enjoy it for its own sake, and this is replete with it. It's a plus that I, old white US man, am taken into a sensory world not already familiar to me. I'm also fully on board with the not-subtle anti-colonial and anti-patriarchal messaging of the entire enterprise. What, then, explains my chary star rating? Surely my delighted warbling comes in a full-five review!
Nothing's perfect. I kept feeling the ghost of gothics past brushing by me, trope by trope. It's not a *bad* thing in and of itself, the story told here is remixed from the very best of its forerunners. It is, however, still a remix. I do not have a way to tell a gothic story that breaks new ground, not being a supergenius or time-traveling visitor from the storytelling future. Yet as I kept reading (and I never stopped from giddy-up to whoa) I got these flashes of "that's from this story!" I do not know if they were precisely the ones Author Ndlovu had as inspirations. I do feel, when that sensation comes very frequently in a story, a small sense of disconnection from my full-on engagement with the narrative flow.
I doubt this would present anyone but the most seasoned readers any kind of problem. It did not reduce my enjoyment of this story's merits by much at all. I recommend it to all y'all who want to read a deeply emotionally resonant story.
Real Rating: 4.25* of five
The Publisher Says: Stupendous African Gothic, by the winner of Yale University’s Windham–Campbell Prize
A modern Gothic story set on the African continent, The Creation of Half-Broken People tells the tale of a nameless woman plagued by visions. She works for the Good Foundation and its museum, a place filled with artifacts from the family’s exploits in Africa, the Good family members all being descendants of Captain John Good, of King Solomon’s Mines fame.
Our heroine is happy with her association with the Good family, until one day she comes across a group of people protesting outside the museum. Instigating the protesters is an ancient woman, who our heroine knows is not real. The nameless woman knows too that the secrets of her past have returned. After this encounter, she finds herself living first in an attic and then in a haunted castle, her life anything but normal as her own intangible inheritance unfolds through the women who inhabit her visions.
With a knowing nod to classics of the Gothic genre, Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu weaves the threads of a complex colonial history into the present as she examines the collusion of colonialism, patriarchy, and capitalism in creating and normalizing a certain kind of womanhood.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: What I loved about this read started from the first line: "There was a time before this. I did not always live in the attic."
I defy anyone who reads my reviews not to want to know what happens next.
One thing that happens is our narrator (nameless here, and like the second Mrs. de Winter, seamlessly unobservedly nameless throughout) meets and becomes entangled with the ominously named "John B. Good IX"—did your arm hairs just prickle with anticipatory dread or is it just me?—at the scary age of twenty-one. Legally responsible, emotionally clueless. Truly a moment in one's life when The Worst can happen without any way to avoid it.
*gleeful hand-rubbing*
So the story unfolds as a heartfelt homage to the centuries of gothic novels and tales that have come before it. The events, the relationships, the emotional devastations that come to each living one of us, all occur in a logical order as demanded by the arc of acceptance in emotional maturation. The struggles, the demands we place on Life for it to conform to our momentary desires, the sudden storms of others' emotional demands blowing our lifeships ever farther from safe harbors...all present and accounted for. As an experienced purveyor of stories...she's a filmmaker, several earlier novels to her credit, graduate of Stanford's film studies program...Author Ndlovu doesn't slow her roll for anything unnecessary, or lard in the always tempting useless "grace note" that reduces the reader's momentum.
Lush descriptive language will always get praise from me, I enjoy it for its own sake, and this is replete with it. It's a plus that I, old white US man, am taken into a sensory world not already familiar to me. I'm also fully on board with the not-subtle anti-colonial and anti-patriarchal messaging of the entire enterprise. What, then, explains my chary star rating? Surely my delighted warbling comes in a full-five review!
Nothing's perfect. I kept feeling the ghost of gothics past brushing by me, trope by trope. It's not a *bad* thing in and of itself, the story told here is remixed from the very best of its forerunners. It is, however, still a remix. I do not have a way to tell a gothic story that breaks new ground, not being a supergenius or time-traveling visitor from the storytelling future. Yet as I kept reading (and I never stopped from giddy-up to whoa) I got these flashes of "that's from this story!" I do not know if they were precisely the ones Author Ndlovu had as inspirations. I do feel, when that sensation comes very frequently in a story, a small sense of disconnection from my full-on engagement with the narrative flow.
I doubt this would present anyone but the most seasoned readers any kind of problem. It did not reduce my enjoyment of this story's merits by much at all. I recommend it to all y'all who want to read a deeply emotionally resonant story.
May 2, 2025
Even as the world moves forward, unfortunately, you’ll still find things remaining the same, sometimes when it comes to women. ‘The Creation Of Half Broken People’ by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu is an African Gothic tale of a nameless protagonist who often has visions. The story moves between past and present and emphasizes the issues around patriarchy and capitalism and how it fails women and their upbringing and eventually their womanhood.
The book started off strongly for me however a few chapters in, I found my mind starting to drift off. I’d sometimes have to re-read a part only to find myself lost once again. Overall, the story in the present tense was interesting and did catch my attention every time, but I did have trouble keeping up with the past, maybe because of the abundant characters?
The writing is beautiful though! If you’re into gothic stories, you might want to check this one out!
Thank you to @tandemcollectiveglobal for the readalong and to @houseofanansi for the gifted copy.
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The book started off strongly for me however a few chapters in, I found my mind starting to drift off. I’d sometimes have to re-read a part only to find myself lost once again. Overall, the story in the present tense was interesting and did catch my attention every time, but I did have trouble keeping up with the past, maybe because of the abundant characters?
The writing is beautiful though! If you’re into gothic stories, you might want to check this one out!
Thank you to @tandemcollectiveglobal for the readalong and to @houseofanansi for the gifted copy.
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May 8, 2025
This book wasn’t for me. I really struggled through the entire thing. It felt very disjointed and I was not a fan of the format.
Thank you to Tandem Collective and House of Anansi for the book for review.
Thank you to Tandem Collective and House of Anansi for the book for review.
December 25, 2025
I honestly like when I enjoy books better than I imagined I would. I at first did not understand what the story was about because Siphiwe just starts writing so beautifully that you can get lost in everything. I like how she focuses on the story. The character are sprinkled before we meet them. Good technique from a master craftswoman. I would love to stud under Siphiwe.
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