Buried in the Chest

by Lindani Mbunyuza-Memani

‘Buried in the Chest deals with familiar themes in South African writing, but with an approach that is astonishingly fresh and accomplished. The author interrogates the painful history of apartheid with a unique literary approach, and the book will linger in the heart and mind long after reading. This poetic novel is the kind of inventive truth telling South Africa urgently needs as we continue to grapple with the past and imagine a better future for all.’ – 2024 Dinaane Debut Fiction Award adjudication panel

Buried in the Chest is a poignant tale of self-discovery, love, and community set against the backdrop of post-apartheid South Africa. The story follows Unathi’s journey as she searches for her mother, Mavis, while navigating her identity. Raised by her grandmother, Gogo, in the village of Moya, where mothers are eerily absent, Unathi must confront the complexities of her sexuality, cultural heritage, and sense of belonging. As she explores lesbian love, interracial relationships, and the quest for her mother’s truth, Unathi must also contend with the harsh realities of identity politics and the masks she must wear to survive.

Paperback

Published January 1, 2025

Reviews

[Atlegang · Rating 1.25 out of 5]

I really, really strugged with this book and the only reason I finished it is because I really don't like DNF'ing books and I want to reach the last page of everybook I read.

The premise of this book essentially explores Unathi's relationships with her grandmother, Bongeka and her yearning to meet the mother she never knew. However, this yearning is only referenced in a few parts of this book especially towards the end of this book as a way to end the story. Throughout this narrative, alot of events are mentioned but are not explored deeper, ultimately leading to the book lacking depth.

Alot of time is spent inside Unathi's head, as much as this exposes her the reader to the psyche of Unathi. I still don't really dont know who she is. I also find it extremely uncanny how a girl growing up in a rural South African village setting, has no ties to any extended family. Did Gogo only have one child? Did Gogo not. have siblings or relatives? The only "close" family member that Unathi has is Mr. Buso, who is her grandmothers ex boyfriend from her youth... this didn't add up for me.

This is a very important story being told here about mothers who dissapeared and left their families behind during the Apartheid era, some where never found. It reminded me of an essay from Our Ghosts were Once People about finding the remains of freedom fighters and handing them over to their families.

I needed more from this book. The outline is there but I needed for the image to be coloured in more...

I will be reading the next book that this author releases but this book was a miss for me. There really wasn't much of a plot, the characters were not really developed and we didnt get to know them... I'll end my review here.

Also did Bongeka really have to die? & the wind... PHEW... lets not get into that.

[Christine Diampovisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buried in the Chest takes place in mostly post-apartheid South Africa. It follows the life of Unathi and her quest to find her mother. Unathi or Nathi as she is affectionately known as, lives in Moya - a village notorious for the lack of mothers and the wind that carries them to faraway places.

“Only three groups of people lived in the village - grandparents, their grandchildren and fathers. There were no mothers in Moya and no mothers in Ntabeni, the village on the other side of the river where Unathi attended school. Mavis, her mother, had also done what other mothers did. She hopped on the wind, which couldn't blow her back, couldn't blow any of the mothers back".

The only family Nathi has is Gogo and Mr Buso. Although Gogo has all the answers, she never tells Nathi where her mother (Mavis) is and why she never returns. She never answers questions on why her mother can never come back to visit. Nathi desperately wants to know anything about her mother but Gogo has buried Mavis in her chest. There is a running theme of people and things buried, and why they should not be exhumed. This theme speaks to loss, pain and unanswered questions, and the ghosts we will chase to find these answers -"Unathi would later learn that it wasn’t the wind that carried them away. It was also not the claws of time that kept them away”.

The book was exceptionally well-written, the characters brought the story to life, the scenery added to the book and tied everything together. A lot of descriptive writing worked as a literary device to show the progression of time, the difference in class and to create tension throughout this brief book. An example of the writing, "It was his soul that was wounded. The pus was spilling out. Unathi placed her hands on both his shoulders as he had done to her at the river. She wasn’t pressing him down. She was pouring herself into him, filling the holes dug in the invisible parts of him. They didn’t cry to forget their pain. They cried to lessen its load. They remained there, tears flowing to the floor, speaking a language of their souls as the groan of their breaths cemented the cracks from the graves in their chest” (Nathi and Mr. Buso).

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time reading it and still I found it a great debut. "Only three groups of people lived in the village - grandparents, their grandchildren and fathers. There were no mothers in Moya and no mothers in Ntabeni, the village on the other side of the river where Unathi attended school. Mavis, her mother, had also done what other mothers did. She hopped on the wind, which couldn't blow her back, couldn't blow any of the mothers back. " Simple offering with the weight of a history of a place, a people and a family, evenly distributed to carry the story from beginning to end.

A deserving 2024 Dinaane Debut Fiction Award winner.