Book Review
Book Review: The Polygamist by Sue Nyathi How Sue Nyathi describes herself: became Sue because my 3rd grade teacher was unable to pronounce my full name, Sukoluhle - a Ndebele name which means “Beautiful Day”. I guess it must have been for my parents when I made my debut into this world 34 years ago. My love affair with books began at a young age. I loved to read and books transported me beyond the borders of Bulawayo where I grew up with my three siblings. As I got older, my passion for reading eventually translated itself into a desire to write. In high school, I gained popularity t h r o u g h my books which were circulated like a rental DVD. All my classmates figured I would become a bestselling author but as life had it I ended up studying finance and investment at University. Nonetheless this did not diminish my first love - writing. Even though I worked in financial markets I would nurture my writing after hours. The economic demise of Zimbabwe forced me to seek opportunities in the Diaspora. Incidentally, it is in Johannesburg
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where the doors to the world of publishing were opened to me. Writing for me is pure escapism especially from an arduous role as a consultant in an economic development and strategic planning firm. When I’m not chasing deadlines I love to let my locks down and relax. For me this means being in the company of family and friends, enjoying good food and good wine with a generous helping of love and laughter. Of course there has to be good music playing in the background. Certain songs narrate the episodes in my life The Polygamist Book Review: Gender empowerment and female emancipation are narratives of change ardently addressed in many societies. The third of the UN millennium development goals is the empowerment of women and achieving gender equality; depicting just how engrossed the world is in discussions of equality and empowerment. However, to clearly examine issues of gender empowerment, one has to delve into the private and every-day living of men and women and observe how, sexuality, gender identities and stereotypes are constantly (re)constructed and negotiated. Zimbabwe born author, Sue Nyathi, delves deep into the lives of four women passionately drawn to a wealthy and powerful
man, Jonas Gomora. She succeeds in making their private lives both public and political in her debut book “The Polygamist”. Set in modern-day Zimbabwe, “The Polygamist” reminds its readers of the once rich and flourishing country. Nonetheless, it is the everyday living of ordinary individuals that makes the book a page-turner. Joy is Jonas Gomora’s first wife. Having been raised in a well off family, she represents everything Jonas wants in life. What Jonas wants, he gets. She supports him as he rises up the ladders of power and wealth, and thinks she knows how to exemplify and satisfy him as a wife, until she meets his second wife, Matipa. Matipa is an ambitious and educated woman who loves the powerful and finer things in life, and this includes Jonas. Essie - Jonas’s first love and childhood friend - is the only woman Jonas feels he can be himself with, without having to prove his wealth. Lindani is the youngest. She has the beauty and the body and is not afraid to use it to get men who will give her a comfortable life. As Jonas gets older, Lindani becomes the woman he sees to feel in control, validate his masculinity, and quench his insatiable appetite for women. The story is narrated through the thoughts, actions and dialogue of these women. The imagined reader is offered a dynamic representation