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Mariama Ba - So Long a Letter (Senegal)



Overall rating (out of 5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Grimness rating (out of 5): ☠

NSFW rating (out of 5):  💢

Genre: letter, romance, slice of life

One of the best finds from last year is So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba (Senegal). It is an amazing account of being a woman in 1970s or 1980s Senegal, although could be relevant to people anywhere. But beyond that, I found that many books from the world focus on rather upsetting issues like war, genocide, famines, colonialism, etc. Very important topics for sure but sometimes hard to read. While this book was rather uplifting and focussed more on a normal human life in normal circumstances (even if with some drama).

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

The book is written in a form of a letter to a friend, explaining recent events in the protagonist's life. That includes family and romantic relationships, husband leaving her for a decades younger woman, dealing with the public fallout due to this situation and the subsequent husband's death.  


Photo by 
Francesca Noemi Marconi on Unsplash

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