02 April, 2015

#BookReview :: The Maestro, the Magistrate and the Mathematician by Tendai Huchu

Three very different men struggle with thoughts of belonging, loss, identity and love as they attempt to find a place for themselves in Britain. The Magistrate tries to create new memories and roots, fusing a wandering exploration of Edinburgh with music. The Maestro, a depressed, quixotic character, sinks out of the real world into the fantastic world of literature. The Mathematician, full of youth, follows a carefree, hedonistic lifestyle, until their three universes collide. 

 In this carefully crafted, multi-layered novel, Tendai Huchu, with his inimitable humour, reveals much about the Zimbabwe story as he draws the reader deep into the lives of the three main characters. 

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I have to get a disclaimer out of the way at the very beginning. The author, Tendai Huchu, has a very special place in my heart as he was the first author to trust me with his book when I was just starting out with my blog about three years back. But I will try to be fair and impartial with my review.

 I had thoroughly enjoyed Mr.Huchu’s first two works of fiction – An Untimely Love and The Hairdresser of Harare – especially the second one. So I was equal parts excited and equal parts nervous to pick up his book. On one hand, with his track record certain qualities were guaranteed and on the other hand I was apprehensive – what if I didn’t like this enough. After procrastinating for as long as I could, I finally picked the book up and finished it in one sitting.

 Just as the name suggests, the story revolves around three central characters – the Maestro, the Magistrate and the Mathematician. These three people are far away from their homeland, Zimbabwe and are struggling with the sense of loss and their identity. They are trying to make a new life for themselves and find that feeling of belonging. As their stories overlap, the readers are in for a surprise. The plot is interesting and well planned out. It was really easy to get into the minds of the characters as they developed through the author’s gratifying narration style. And so, it was easy to follow them closely and often empathize with them especially when each of them was trying to find some sort of balance in their lives. They are such unique individuals that they each bring something different and flavorful to the story.

 One thing I have come to realize about the author is the fact that he writes about things he knows well. And thus, it is easy for the reader to get into the thick of things while reading his books. Also, there is this underlying factor of culture that is so rich and vibrant that it is practically impossible not to fall in love with the stories. This book provided me with few hours of pure entertainment and I would recommend you to give it a try!


Review Copy received from the Author


By at April 02, 2015
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