The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

This is the thread where you can submit reviews for the Best Review contest. The thread is open for submissions and will close at Midnight EST on May 15, 2021. Voting will start the next day and run until the end of the GR day on May 31. The person whose review gets the most votes will have the opportunity to design a 20 point task for the Summer Challenge.

To be eligible for this task opportunity you must have achieved at least 100 points on the Spring 2021 Challenge Readerboard by midnight Eastern Time on May 14, 2021. Only one task per person per challenge.

Just a reminder that each person can only submit one review - but you can make edits to your review up until the end. The review does not have to be any particular length and doesn't have to be a positive one (i.e. you can choose to review a book you didn't like).
Please include your Readerboard Name.

PLEASE DO NOT comment on people's reviews in this thread - this is for submissions only - you will be able to comment when voting begins.

SPOILER ALERT!- These reviews may include spoilers

Readerboard name: Bucket

The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell has:

Historical fiction --- AND a dystopian future.

Non-fiction about Zambia --- AND magical realism.

Technology. Nature. People and culture.

Love. Hate. Sex. Lots of sex.

I'm in awe.

The Old Drift tells the modern history of Zambia, from European colony to robust African nation. But not in any straightforward way. This is really the story of three generations in three diverse families.

A “swarm” chimes in like a Greek chorus with things like: “Progress is just the word we use to disguise power doing its thing.” and “Every small stray opens up a new way, an Eden of forking digressions.”

Serpell has created a complex structure here. It’s sprawling (across character and time) but strictly adhered to and tight as a drum. But the structure doesn't for one second put strain or guardrails on the narrative.

The language is lavish. It’s visual, un-self-conscious, and full of endlessly unspooling metaphors and juxtapositions (sometimes several in a row to describe the same thing). It’s also, somehow, precise.

The main characters here are everything - all NINE of them. They are so singular and strong and tragic. The 3 grandmothers, especially. One is covered in rapidly-growing hair, another cries non-stop for decades, the third is an Afronaut (true story: a group of Zambians aimed to join the space race in the 1960s).

Books like The Old Drift are why I love to read. What a treasure!