رسائل سبتمبر

by Bryony Rheam, برايوني رحيم, سيد عمر (المترجم)

"أين يمكنك أن تبدأ بتشكيل حياة كاملة؟ الأجزاء ليست متوافقة دائمًا. العديد منها مفقود، أو مُقترض.. من حيوات أشخاص آخرين وذكرياتهم وألغازهم. أين البداية عندما تكون لديك النهاية فقط لتبدأ بها؟".

كل هذه التساؤلات تطرحها بطلة الرواية.. "إيلي". فتاة صغيرة تروي لنا عن أسرتها وحياتها في زيمبابوي، وتروي عن جدتها التي شكلت وعيها وما أصبحت عليه البطلة عندما كبرت. تبدأ حكايتها عندما كانت طفلة صغيرة تجلس مع عائلتها بعد الظهر لشرب الشاي عندما أُعلن استقلال زيمبابوي، وانفصال جدتها عن جدها. رحلت جدتها، ومع رحيلها، بدأ عقل "إيلي" الصغيرة يمتلئ بتساؤلات وحيرة كبيرة. وتمر الأيام وتكبر "إيلي" وترحل بعيدًا عن زيمبابوي، ثم تعود مرة أخرى عند وفاة جدتها.. فتجد عشرات الرسائل التي خبأتها جدتها، وتبدأ في قراءتهم ظنًا منها بأنهم ربما يساعدونها على فهم تلك المرأة الغامضة.. لكنهم يزيدونها حيرة.


عن المؤلفة:

بيروني رحيم

وُلدت في مدينة "كادوما" عام 1974، وعاشت في "بولاوايو" - والتي تدور أحداث الرواية بها - منذ أن كانت في الثامنة وحتى أنهت دراستها المدرسية. حصلت على الماجيستير في الأدب الإنجليزي من بريطانيا، ثم قامت بتدريسه لمدة عام بسنغافورة قبل أن تعود لتدرسه في زيمبابوي منذ عام 2001 وحتى عام 2008. بعدها انتقلت للإقامة في زامبيا، ولا تزال تُدَرِّس الأدب الإنجليزي.

فازت روايتها "شمس سبتمبر" عام 2010 بجائزة "أفضل كتاب" والتي تمنحها جمعية الناشرين بزيمبابوي.

Genres: Africa, Zimbabwe, Fiction, Historical Fiction

496 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2009

Reviews

[Fatimah AlZohairy · Rating 4 out of 5]

تبدأ القصة طفلة و من ثم مراهقة و من ثم إمرأة ترفض مواجهة الألم.
رسائل صادقة جدا من شابة و امرأة متزوجة و إمرأة كهلة عن رحلتها. و تشوف كل أنواع الحب في هذه الرسائل و لا تستطيع إلا أن تصدقها كلها.

[Calzean · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very slow moving story revolving around Ellie and her grandmother. In the first half, Ellie grows up in the new Zimbabwe. She is educated in England and returns to Zimbabwe when her Gran dies. The second half is a lot of diary and letters written by Gran and a couple of skeletons in the closet. Just did not grab me.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book somewhat skeptically - but I have to say that it is very well written and gives some very interesting insight to the changing face of Rhodesia and then Zimbabwe. Not only did her descriptions of Bulawayo bring the town to life in my mind, but I could see myself in the comments that she makes about young "modern" white Zimbabweans... certainly food for thought.

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

عمل رائع يغوص بنا في زيمبابوي البيضاء مع عائلة إيلي : الجدة ايفي المرأة الحيوية ذات ماض غامض تكتشفه ايلي بعد وفاة الجدة و عبر رسائل و مذكرات نكتشف معها أيضا أسرارا عائلية و علاقات متشابكة.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed references to Zimbabwe and Bulawayo in this book, as well as the chapter where Ellie, the main character, reflects on being a Zimbabwean abroad. The book is divided into two main parts, life in Zim, life in London. I preferred her first section, her coming of age and the stories of her grandmother. However, the diary entries are sometimes long, descriptive and only serve as a literary ruse to move the plot forward. I feel this book could have been a third shorter. However, there are some very nice excerpts, the writing flows, and it is overall a pleasant read.

[Vivien · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character turned from a miserable child to a miserable adult who needed a good kick up the back-side. Her grandmother's story was more interesting although she made some very dubious life choices. The changes in Zimbabwe since independence were skimmed over and the characters not very likeable so don't bother.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and its evocations of Zimbabwe pre and post Independence. The book really took off for me half way through, I can't say why without spoiling it for others. Overall a wonderful description of the strong and loving relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter (the author), also a strong and compelling love story however there were aspects that became apparent towards the end that it was more controlling and unequal than I had imagined. Sorry, difficult to write what one thinks without giving things away!

[Wim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful novel about growing up as a white Zimbabwean after independence, Bryony Rheam sketches a family tragedy with webs of lies, secrets and mysteries that slowly being discovered by Ellie, the protagonist.

[Sue Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling read - an intricate family history with a brilliant story arc that is only resolved in the final stages. It's like having a massive colourful jigsaw with all the pieces falling into place at the end. Loved it.

[Alison Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Because the novel is set in my old home town of Bulawayo, where I spent 31 years, I pounced on the book, but ... I enjoyed the nostalgia trip, familiar names, places, events. But the novel itself? theme is Family Secrets and their slow revelation. The author needed a good editor. The story was cumbersome, and there were too many revelatory diary sections. Nice try, BR.

[Rawan · Rating 3 out of 5]

رواية لطيفة عن تلك اللحظات اللامثالية في حياتنا ، بالنسبة لأحدهم قد تعني لحظة ندم بعد قول شيء تافه ، و لآخر ليست سوى لحظة صمت صاخبة

[Carol Workman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very slow read!

[Wafaa Elsaeed · Rating 4 out of 5]

.تحتوي ع فلسفة روحانية عميقة

[Chevelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes a little while to get to the meat of the story, but the first part, going through Ellie's early life and dropping clues about the grandmother's murder (not a spoiler, it's in the book blurb) is interesting in its own way and full of family drama that all starts to make much more sense as the story progresses.

As someone far away and disconnected from my own family and home country, I loved the way Bryony handles themes of going away and coming back and the way things change. This is as much a coming-of-age story for Zimbabwe as for Ellie.

It breaks chronology quite a bit in the second half, so you have to keep a close eye on the dates, but it allows for a slow unroll of truth and motive, very much like one of the mysteries Ellie's grandmother would have loved.

[Marja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way books allow you to travel places you've never been to and most likely will never travel to. I enjoyed this trip to Zimbabwe with the company of two ladies, Ellie and her grandmother Evelyn. The story gave me a lot to think about.

[Predrag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. The author introduced her book in person at the Zimbabwe Academy of Music in Bulawayo. Reminiscences and personal search of a young lady born and raised in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

[Cynthia Sillitoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written and interesting, but a little fragmented.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my type of read, I expected a little more

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring