What We're Reading: The Hairdresser Of Harare

(( Written By:  Staff Writer )) Single mother Vimbai is the best hairdresser in Mrs. Khumalo's salon, that is, until the good-looking, smooth-talking Dumisani joins the salon much to Vimbai's irritation and usurps her role as best stylist.  However, his good looks and smooth talking eventually tear down the tough walls that she has put up, and the two form a friendship when Vimbai becomes Dumisani's landlady.  But when Dumisani needs someone to accompany him to his brother's wedding to help bridge a long-standing family rift, Vimbai soon finds herself in a world that forces her to come to terms with her own insecurities and deep-seated prejudices.

Tendai Huchu's "The Hairdresser Of Harare" is not afraid to engage with Zimbabwe's failing economy ("She took the brick-like bundle of cash ... She did not need to count it.  We can tell the value of money from its weight."), politically incorrect beauty standards ("Your client should leave the salon feeling like a white woman"), and in the twist of the novel, messy gender politics.

((  Photo Credits:  Book Cover Art  ))