May is already off to a great start for THP’s book team! We have so much in store for this month, but let’s start with Tarisai Ngangura’s literary debut novel, The Ones We Loved.
The Ones We Loved follows the lives of two strangers who meet after a series of fateful encounters. She has committed a grave act. He has suffered a terrible loss. Eventually, the two find comfort in each other and try to move on from their dark past.
We felt locked in reading The Ones We Loved by Tarisai Ngangura, and here are some of our favorite things about this coming-of-age story.
Book Overview: The Ones We Loved
Content warnings: death, murder, parent death, violence, racism, bodies, guns, weapons
Summary: On a bus moving across rural landscapes from town to town, two young people are escaping with nothing to hold except hope. She has committed a horrifying act for which there will certainly be retribution. He is staggering from a devastating discovery. They will find each other and attempt to move forward, even as their grief leaves wounds on their new beginnings.
Seamlessly transitioning between past lives and present realities, The Ones We Loved tenderly weaves both myth and memory into an account of two people desperate for connection and yearning for a place to belong. They will find sunflowers carrying death, rivers that whisper secrets and trees that will see it all.
The Ones We Loved is told in the rhythms of oral retellings practiced in Zimbabwe, where a ngano (story)—its melodies, pauses and lifts—creates a call-and-response with the audience. It is a breathtakingly beautiful story about the homes we leave behind, the lonely voices that find us and the painful consequences of experiencing a love that has never known how to let go.
Unnamed Main Characters
It took us a minute to realize the main characters in The Ones We Loved were only referred to as “She” and “He.” We have honestly never read a novel like this before. But our initial confusion turned into admiration once we got settled into the book. It flowed like a story meant to be spoken and read aloud, whether by yourself or to an audience. While the main characters may not have had distinct names, that only allowed us to immerse ourselves even more.
Big Reveals
The Ones We Loved seamlessly weaves between She and He’s lives from the past to the present. As readers, we had to piece together what happened to both characters before meeting the other. What made She run away from her home? What made He look toward another place to settle down? How did they come into each other’s orbit? The truth had us speechless. And we never thought it could be told to us like a rumor or a piece of gossip heard floating around town.
The Open Ending
Lastly, another one of our favorite things about The Ones We Loved is not getting a definitive ending. Despite their passionate relationship, She and He start to become more awkward and uncomfortable. Silences fill their days, with each person still grappling with their inner turmoil. However, they both know they should rely on the other, and the turning point comes right at the end. We like to think that they worked out their differences, sharing their burden and navigating the highs and lows of young love.
A powerful coming-of-age story, The Ones We Loved by Tarisai Ngangura takes the reader out of their comfort zone and leaves them contemplating long after the final page.
The Ones We Loved by Tarisai Ngangura releases May 6th, and you can preorder a copy of it here!
So, what did you think of Tarisai Ngangura’s The Ones We Loved? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
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