"From London to Zimbabwe, this dazzling coming-of-age tale of tangled family dynamics, loss and grief tingles with road-trip transformations and the soulful magic of love."
Ablaze with authentic truths on the nature of grief, and how it is to live between two cultures, Blessing Musariri’s All That It Ever Meant sweeps readers into the heart-breaking, stirring story of a girl’s journey through loss. A journey that takes her from London to Zimbabwe, from darkness to light, with a spirit guide helping her navigate the rocky path.
“When someone dies, it’s the death of everything the way you knew it. The Death stains everything and there’s no washing it out. I was struck dumb. Nothing was real to me anymore.” This is how 14-year-old Mati feels when her mother dies. Similarly, without his wife, her Baba was “drifting” and “failing”, and so Baba, Mati and her two siblings travel to Zimbabwe.
During the family’s road-trip, Mati is visited by Meticais, a wise, charismatic spirit who appears in gloriously flamboyant outfits —“they are kind of old in the face and I can’t tell if they are a man or a woman”. Through their encounters and conversations, Meticais gently steers Mati through her grief and pain to come to a clearer understanding of her emotions and to see a way through the darkness. At once subtle and powerful, this speaks to truths of the human heart with beauty and a pitch-perfect voice.
| Primary Genre | Young Adult Fiction |
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WINNER OF THE CHILDREN'S AFRICANA BOOK AWARDS 2024
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR WRITING 2025
KIRKUS BEST YA BOOKS OF THE CENTURY (SO FAR)
OBSERVER BEST BOOKS OF 2023
IRISH TIMES BEST BOOKS OF 2023
SUNDAY TIMES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK
An outstanding YA novel of family love, loss, and life lived between two cultures, by an astonishing, super-stylish new voice.
'I'm going to tell you exactly how everything happened. Baba always says, Mati mwana'ngu, I love a good story but I don't have time for a long one, so make it short.'
When Mati and her two siblings travel from London to Zimbabwe with their father, they are forced to confront the knotty family dynamics caused by the loss of their mother. Along for the trip is Meticais, a fabulously attired gender-neutral spirit - or ghost? or imaginary friend? - who only Mati can see and talk to.
Guided by Meticais's enigmatic advice and wisdom, Mati must come to terms with her grief and with the difficulty of a life lived between two cultures, while her family learn to forge their way in a world without their monumental mother. This is distinctive, stylish, powerful writing by a vital new voice.
All That It Ever Meant features in the following genres: Young Adult Fiction, Debut Books of the Month, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories, Politics and government, Society and Social Sciences, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Recommendations
All That It Ever Meant is available in Paperback, Hardback
All That It Ever Meant was written by Blessing Musariri and published by Zephyr an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing (UK)
All That It Ever Meant has 181 pages
£8.09
