Heroes Not Zombies

I bought this novel by the French/Sengalese author, David Diop, because I thought it was the story of a plant hunter, but really it’s a tale about colonialism and slavery in Senegal.

I loved it.

You know how some books are a real delight to hold in your hands? Well this is one of them. The publisher is Pushkin Press. I don’t know if all their books are printed on such lovely paper and with such delightful covers but I’ll be keeping an eye out for them now.

I lost myself in this story. It was completely engaging. An 18th century tale of discovery, encounter with another culture and language, as well as a challenging, powerful narrative about the inhumanity of slavery.

There are people we encounter in this life, who stay in our hearts forever even if we don’t pass all that many days with them. The actual door of no return hits hard even though you know it’s going to come at some point.

Highly recommended