Literary Black Book Club with Genay
Featured Book
The Old Drift: A Novel
On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there was once a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. Here begins the epic story of a small African nation, told by a mysterious swarm-like chorus that calls itself man's greatest nemesis. The tale? A playful panorama of history, fairytale, romance and science fiction. The moral? To err is human.
About This Event
The Literary Black Book Club will meet every month to discuss mostly contemporary fiction written by Black authors. We'll also share a light snack and hopefully some laughs.
This month we'll discuss Namwali Serpell's debut novel, which spans the breadth of Zambia’s precolonial past to its digital future, The Old Drift.
“In turns charming, heartbreaking, and breathtaking, The Old Drift is a staggeringly ambitious, genre-busting multigenerational saga with moxie for days. . . . I wanted it to go on forever. A worthy heir to Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude.”—Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties
“It’s hard to believe this is a debut, so assured is its language, so ambitious its reach, and yet The Old Drift is indeed Namwali Serpell’s first novel, and it signifies a great new voice in fiction. Feeling at once ancient and futuristic, The Old Drift is a genre-defying riotous work that spins a startling new creation myth for the African nation of Zambia. . . . Serpell’s voice is lucid and brilliant, and it’s one we can’t wait to read more of in years to come.”—Nylon, (50 Books You’ll Want to Read in 2019)
1904. On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there is a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. In a smoky room at the hotel across the river, an Old Drifter named Percy M. Clark, foggy with fever, makes a mistake that entangles the fates of an Italian hotelier and an African busboy. This sets off a cycle of unwitting retribution between three Zambian families (black, white, brown) as they collide and converge over the course of the century, into the present and beyond. As the generations pass, their lives—their triumphs, errors, losses and hopes—emerge through a panorama of history, fairytale, romance and science fiction.
From a woman covered with hair and another plagued with endless tears, to forbidden love affairs and fiery political ones, to homegrown technological marvels like Afronauts, microdrones and viral vaccines, this gripping, unforgettable novel is a testament to our yearning to create and cross borders, and a meditation on the slow, grand passage of time.
Contact Genay, at bookclubs@mcnallyjackson.com with any questions.
About the Venue
McNally Jackson · Downtown Brooklyn
This Downtown Brooklyn location is the second McNally Jackson in Brooklyn. Opening in 2020, it occupies two stores of City Point and features an extensive selection of fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, rare books, and stationery.
Visit store pageMore at McNally Jackson · Downtown Brooklyn
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