THE FURROWS BY NAMWALI SERPELL
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May 2023 book selection
About the Book
Cassandra Williams is twelve; her little brother, Wayne, is seven. One day, when they’re alone together, there is an accident and Wayne is lost forever. His body is never recovered. The missing boy cleaves the family with doubt. Their father leaves, starts another family elsewhere. But their mother can’t give up hope and launches an organization dedicated to missing children.
As C grows older, she sees her brother everywhere: in bistros, airplane aisles, subway cars. Here is her brother’s face, the light in his eyes, the way he seems to recognize her, too. But it can’t be, of course. Or can it? Then one day, in another accident, C meets a man both mysterious and familiar, a man who is also searching for someone and for his own place in the world. His name is Wayne.
Namwali Serpell’s remarkable new novel captures the uncanny experience of grief, the way the past breaks over the present like waves in the sea. The Furrows is a bold exploration of memory and mourning that twists unexpectedly into a story of mistaken identity, double consciousness, and the wishful—and sometimes willful—longing for reunion with those we’ve lost.
About the Bookclub
Joining is as simple as showing up to our monthly meet-up. We meet on the second Wednesday of each month and we welcome everybody with open arms. Spread the love and invite others; the more the merrier! Let’s grow our conversation circle! We will share our monthly book selection via our mailing list and social media (Facebook and Instagram).
Details
Goethe-Institut Johannesburg
119 Jan Smuts Avenue Parkwood
2193 Johannesburg
joh-bibliothek@goethe.de
Part of series Afro Freedom Bookclub 2023