
Godwin writes in a very straightforward manner - he just describes what he experienced at the time, without trying to apologise for or justify the attitudes and accepted rules of the day. I liked the fact that he didn't try to make it amusing, i.e. by making "characters" of the people or by making the book a series of contrived funny stories. Or worse, try to analyse the situation (with the benefit of hindsight) and bang on about the complexities of race, history, politics and human behavior.
He simply tells the story, and leaves us to make up our own minds.
Of course, we all know what Zimbabwe is like today and so reading it, I felt sad for the people described in the book and their problems still to come.
I was sorry when I finished Mukiwa; I could have spent much more time in that fascinating place. That's a sign that I've really enjoyed a book.
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