Grief, Mauritian poetry and wish-lists
Kicking off the second edition of this newsletter with a bit of non-bookish content.
In this week’s edition I will share:
a story-time (TW: femicide)
my latest reads
the books I NEED (right now)
First things first - thank you so much for subscribing to my newsletter! I must say, it feels more daunting to have my words land directly in your inbox than it does when I publish posts on Medium or other public forums. It feels more… intimate? In any case, thank you for giving me some space in your email clutter to work my way through my thoughts and share pieces of myself with you.
Story-time
This week started off weird. I woke up to news of yet another femicide in Mauritius. A young woman, Urvashi A. was killed by her ex-partner, stabbed in broad daylight because she refused to take him back. When you wake up to that kind of news, it just stays with you the whole day, prickling the nape of your neck, making your heart sink as soon as it floats through your mind. Femicides are, sadly, far from being uncommon back home but, for some reason, this one felt different. Was it because she was only 22 years old and had her whole life ahead of her? Or maybe because she was murdered while on her way to buy a birthday gift for her mother? I took a screenshot of the article and told myself that I would read up on it later (I am, unsuccessfully, trying to cut down on my screen time.)
Fast-forward two days later: I was treating my partner to a nice dinner in a hotel restaurant for a special occasion (disclaimer: Mauritius is currently COVID-safe, which means that life is “back-to-normal” here and restaurants are a thing). Our waiter, S., was a young man with an energetic gait and a twinkle in his eye. I ended up chatting with him and realised that, not only did we come from the same town, he also knew my parents quite well. After laughing at the coincidence (island life, right?) and exchanging some more pleasantries, he stopped mid-conversation and said “I am really glad that I am talking to you tonight because I was actually feeling quite… unwell during the last couple of days. I lost a dear friend of mine this weekend and I haven’t been myself since.”
The nape of my neck prickled.
He continued: “I don’t know if you’ve been following the news lately, but on Sunday a girl was stabbed by a 30 year-old man in Curepipe...”
My heart sank.
Do you believe in coincidences, or do you think that things happen for a reason? I am more inclined towards the former but, sometimes, I do wonder. We were humbled that he deemed us worthy to be on the receiving end of his personal story and grief, unable to fathom how hard it must have been for him to put on his work-face while a storm was thrashing within him.
Even if this is probably not the bookish content you were looking for, I felt like sharing this story with you. And this is, sadly, one of the oldest stories in the book; a young woman’s life was cut short by an egoistical, self-entitled man who could not bear the idea that a woman would write him off forever.
S. laughed shakily and confessed that he would go dancing in a nightclub for the first time of his life this year. Life is too short, he said. I did warn him that the experience might not be as exhilarating as he’d expect (sticky floors, beer stains, long queues and sweaty bodies pressing against you) but I suppose that life is too short to not dance (in a nightclub). I hope he dances all night long.
Now, onto some bookish content.
Latest reads
Mauritian lit/poetry: This week I finished ZOM-FAM, a poetry collection written by Kama La Mackerel, a Mauritian-Canadian poet & multi-disciplinary artist, and posted a very emotional review of it on my book blog. It’s the first time in a long time since I’ve read groundbreaking, gender-bending work coming from a Mauritian writer. Hungry for more - from Kama, and from other budding young Mauritian creatives. Comment below if you have any recommendations!
Other books I’ve read lately:
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (I was recommended this one by both a Bookstagram friend whose recs I trust with my life and an online pervert who tried to bait me, so I had to read it. I was not disappointed - Adiga’s humour is so dark and absurd, I love it).
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (why did it take me so long to read this? Already downloaded the sequel on my Kobo. Read if you like dystopias that are set in 2025 and describe what we’re probably heading towards if we don’t do anything to effectively stop climate change & rampant capitalism).
The Red Car by Marcy Dermansky (short & entertaining read, funny at times, but I really disliked the protagonist for some reason).
Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (epic. epic. EPIC. A family curse spanning generations of the Kintu clan, from the Kingdom of Buganda to modern-day Uganda. Definitely a universal classic; please read it and thank me later).
Currently reading: Sula by Toni Morrison. One of my reading goals for 2021 is to read all of Toni Morrison’s works in order of their publication year. I read The Bluest Eye last December, and will be slowly working my way through her masterpieces. I can’t wait to be educated. Have you read any of hers? Which ones are your favourites? Let me know in the comments!
Books I NEED (right now)
2021 will also be the year where I’ll try to buy less and work my way through books that are silently judging me from their cosy nooks on my bookshelf. That being said, I cannot wait to get my hands on the following books:
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson (I’ve been waiting for this one for months now!! I haven’t been this hyped since Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi).
Brown Baby: A Memoir of Race, Family and Home by Nikesh Shukla
I wanted to add another section to this second edition but I think I’ve rambled enough. I’ll keep some content for the next one. Until then - keep reading and keep an ear out for your friends, lovers, family and strangers. Humanity and its history survive thanks to stories - and stories are kept alive by those who care enough to listen.
Have a wonderful week dear friends, and keep safe.
Sabrina
Love this! Keep it coming :)
I love this format so much! So engaging and so much to take away to reflect on later. I could definitely use the extra rambling!