Before the Mango Ripens - Afabwaje Kurian

nSet against the backdrop of 1970s Nigeria nteetering between post-colonial dependency and self-rule, Before the nMango Ripens examines the enduring themes of faith, disillusionment, and nthe search for belonging. Both epic and intimate, Afabwaje Kurian's debut nannounces a brilliant new talent for readers of Imbolo Mbue and Chimamanda nNgozi Adichie.n n nn In nRabata, everyone has secrets--especially since the arrival of the white American nmissionaries. nn n n nTwenty-year-old nJummai is a beautiful and unassuming house girl whose dreams of escaping her nhome life are disrupted when an unexpected pregnancy forces her to hide her nlover's identity. Tebeya, an ambitious Dublin-educated doctor, has left nprestigious opportunities abroad to return to the small town of her birth, and ndiscovers a painful betrayal when she strives to take control of the mission nclinic. Zanya is a young translator, enticed by promises of progress, who comes nto Rabata to escape a bitter past and finds himself embroiled in a fight nagainst the American reverend for the heart of the church and town. n n n nUnited nby their yearning for change, all three must make difficult decisions that nthreaten the fragile relationships of the Rabata they know. As tensions mount and nhypocrisies are unveiled, the people of Rabata are faced with a question that nwill transform their town forever: Let the Americans stay, or make them go?n nn