Flying Cows and other Traumas

by Philisiwe Twijnstra

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Reviews

[Balthazarinblue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite an impressive debut collection. There's a mix of contemporary South African life and more speculative weirdness. My preference was for the more out there stories. I hope the author continues to let their imagination soar and leans into spec-fic in her future work.

[jabulisile (chaotic.pagesofjae)]

The way the concepts were executed was disjointed, inconsistent and left you yearning for more. Most of the stories ended rather abruptly. Not to mention how much the characters would contradict themselves. Saying one thing and then two pages later contradicting it without explanation and in a way that didn’t make sense. There was quite a lot of repetition as well that made it so annoying to get through the book. Like you just said that, why are you saying it two more times in the same page? Even if the intention was emphasis, it just came across as poorly edited.

I read about half the stories before giving up and I cant even say there was one that was better than the others. I was just increasingly annoyed the more I read.

[Ralton Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mesmerising collection of fifteen short stories that blends magical realism, speculative fiction and fantasy to explore family dysfunction, resilience, oppression and empowerment through the lives of black women. The book’s greatest strength is that characters are flawed yet heroic. Their journeys reveal many variations of what it means to survive and claim power. Twijnstra’s use of culture and language adds emotional depth and authenticity, showing how meaning, humour and intimacy are often rooted in vernacular expression. The unexpected twists rekindled the excitement I once felt as a young reader, while the subtle sociopolitical commentary reminded me of the importance of diverse voices and experiences. This book reignited my imagination and demonstrates how rich cultural storytelling can create infinite realms that make reading worth the time and money we spend to experience them.

[Rhona Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The short stories fed my soul and there were magical quotes in each one of them.

Quotes that stayed:
Something inside me did not come from this body. Mother knew and kept quiet.

Making peace with herself was the only gift she could claim once she understood this.

Losing a mother was like losing colour from the sky.

If loneliness and misery had a baby, you were the outcome, because as much as you were alone, misery also occupied your mind.

Jack Molefe was the boy who owned all my moons and caressed my heartbeat.

They looked at me with eyes as white as milk.

There were whispers about her in the village. She could hear them, and she knew their thoughts before they thought them.

Sometimes she danced like the child I once was. She danced to heal what could not be healed.

Almost anyone with pockets that had holes in them had stayed in that building, which was a drastic shade of orange, and once caused the fire brigade to think that it was on fire.

People say they hide things because they care, but more often it is because they are afraid.

The caves needed a story, and to save my village, I must become the storyteller, the keeper of stories. With stories, we would rebuild. We would soar again.

[Maniki_021]

This is what I’d describe as dark fantasy/magical realism. I really wanted to love it, but unfortunately, I just couldn’t connect with the stories. I absolutely loved the title, but the book itself was boring, boring, BORING. 😭

There are 15 short stories in total, but I managed to get through 7 before deciding not to force myself to continue.

The stories I read:

I Ate the Bones of My Father ⭐⭐/5
The Mlotshwa Way ⭐⭐⭐/5
Amagwinya House ⭐/5
So Neighbourly ⭐⭐/5
Aunty Mayor ⭐⭐⭐/5
I Was 6 the First Time I Drank Beer ⭐⭐/5

Overall: DNF.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

At a conference in South Africa and an academic shared with me that she purchases a novel local to the country she visits. It has been a goal of mine this year to branch out beyond western centric writing, so I picked up this book (the magical realism piqued my interest). That being said, READ MORE INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE!! I think it could’ve leaned more into the magical realism, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book—it was very enriching!