Top ten African female writers chosen by the team behind AFREADA.
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Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
Everything about this book screams “Nollywood” - old school Nollywood to be precise. On the surface, it’s a story about infertility and the lengths a young family will go through to have a child, but, beneath the surface, it’s a story about so much more. Set in 80s Nigeria, Ayobami Adebayo’s exceptional storytelling introduces us to characters we’ll never forget.
Purchase on Amazon here.
Sweet Medicine by Panashe Chigumadzi
This is one of the most vibrant novels about life in Harare post-2008 crisis. Tsitsi graduates into an era where her career prospects don’t match her aspirations. Slowly she entangles herself into the life of a wealthy politician, living as she always dreamed and moving further away from the morals her Catholic mother instilled in her.
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Evening Primrose by Kopano Matlwa
This is a short and raw kind of coming-of-age story about a newly qualified doctor in South Africa. Set in a hospital, which sits at the junction of trauma and response, Masechaba reconciles her dream of being a doctor with the violent reality of the South African healthcare system.
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My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
This is the perfect lockdown novel, it’s fun and punchy and can be read in one sitting. Sisters Korede and Ayoola are close. When Korede gets the call that Ayoola has killed another suitor, Korede always picks up the phone and the bucket, gloves and bleach. Underneath this dark and comic story, is the question how far are you willing to go for family?
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Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
With this debut novel, Yaa Gyasi reimagined what was possible with fiction. ‘Ambitious’ is the word that comes to mind when you think about how her story spans three centuries, and follows the descendants of two half-sisters in 18th-century Ghana. It is heartbreaking and breathtaking in equal measure and makes you think about what it means to be African, what it means to be African-American, and where the two identities collide.
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Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Half of a Yellow Sun is one of those books that will stop you in your tracks. Set against the backdrop of the Biafran war, the novel explores Nigeria’s troubled history through the distinct perspectives of a myriad of complex characters. After reading a few chapters, you’ll have no doubt that Half of a Yellow Sun is a classic, and you’ll agree with Chinua Achebe, who said that Chimamanda is “a writer endowed with the gift of ancient storytellers.’
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The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta
A riveting classic about the vicissitudes of womanhood, and a story that is still as relatable now as it was when it first came out. Nnu Ego is a child of destiny, the result of a love story with a bitter incursion and a lifetime of servitude in devotion to her children. It is biting, informative, haunting and reflective and leaves you breathless at its conclusion.
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So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba
Ramatoulaye has recently become a widow. But that gives her the impetus and space to write a tome to her lifelong friend. So Long a Letter is a semi-autobiographical novel that looks at her life with her husband, his death, his betrayal and her response to it. If The Joys of Motherhood speaks to the Nigerian woman’s experience, its Senegalese companion is So Long a Letter.
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Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
This Zimbabwean classic takes a hard long look at race, education and gender politics, as well as the role they’ve played in post-colonial Zimbabwe. But combined with Dangaremgba’s powerful writing and the drama that we are immersed in through her characters, we are gifted with a poignant and reflective tale
Purchase on Amazon here.
*note: the links in this article are affiliate links. This means we earn a small commission on each purchase. This helps support us, and our platform. We’d love for you to use these links to purchase the books, but there is no pressure to use them.