All That It Ever Meant
by
Blessing Musariri
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
W. W. Norton & Company
Imprint
Norton Young Readers
ISBN
9781324030959
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Underage Use , Language: Infrequent Use , Language: Strong Language , Sexual Content: Reference/Discussion
Family, grief, ghosts, and a mystery: this clever and compelling young adult novel heralds a masterful new voice from Zimbabwe.M/b>
Mati’s family is reeling from the death of Mati’s mother. Her Baba has drawn into himself, her sister Chichi is rebelling, and her young brother Tana is desperate for love and normalcy.When Chichi pulls her worst stunt yet, Baba uproots the family from their home in England for an extended camping holiday in their native Zimbabwe. Along for the trip is Meticais, a fabulously attired gender-neutral spirit—or ghost? or imaginary friend?—who only Mati can see and converse with. Guided by Meticais’s enigmatic advice and wisdom, Mati must come to terms with her grief and with the difficulty of living between two cultures, while the family must learn to forge their way in a world without their monumental mother.Full of captivating characters and stunning plot twists, All That It Ever Meant delivers a nuanced and unforgettable story of grief, love, and family.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Underage Use , Language: Infrequent Use , Language: Strong Language , Sexual Content: Reference/Discussion
Details
Format
Page Count
192
Trim Size
8 1/2" x 6"
Dewey
F
AR
0: points 0
Genre
Fic
Scholastic Reading Counts
0
JLG Release
Apr 2023
Book Genres
Magical Realism
Topics
Grief. Family life. Supernatural. Black people. Zimbabwe. Bereavement. Siblings.
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Praise & Reviews
Praise & Reviews
School Library Journal
School Library Journal
Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-In the aftermath of Matiponesa's mother's sudden death, her father tows her and her two siblings from the UK back to his home country of Zimbabwe for a road trip through its national parks. In the rawness of their grief their father has retreated into himself, and all are walking on eggshells to avoid the explosive rages of Chichi, Mati's 17-year-old sister. Mati, 14, a highly observant protagonist with a rich interior life, says of herself, "I don't overthink things, I let them come and settle in my head," which happens to include a pipe-smoking, gender-ambiguous spirit named Meticais whom only Mati can see. Meticais appears and vanishes without warning as the family travels across Zimbabwe, each time adorned in wild new fashions, and prods Mati to narrate the events leading up to their departure from England. "It will change the story I'm telling if I keep talking about me in it," Mati objects, and of course it does, leading to a stunning twist in the book's final quarter. In a vibrant narrative voice that is by turns both meditative and humorous, Mati pulls apart the way stories are told to "see behind things," navigate her grief, and explore new ways of knowing herself and her family. Wise and lyrical, Musariri's novel pairs an insightful and layered portrait of family grief with a clever, tension-filled structure that invites rereading. VERDICT A gorgeous, richly rewarding novel for thoughtful readers; recommended as a first purchase.-Elizabeth Giles?(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Grades 9 & Up
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Interests
Diversity,Fiction,Mature Readers,LGBTQ+,Novels,Funny/Humorous,Realistic Fiction
Grades 9 & Up
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14 books per Year
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