Namwali Serpell has written a genre-blending book that explores grief. Cassandra Williams is twelve; her little brother, Wayne, is seven. One day, when they’re alone together, there is an accident and Wayne is lost forever. His body is never recovered. The missing boy cleaves the family with doubt. Their father leaves, starts another family elsewhere. But their mother can’t give up hope and launches an organization dedicated to missing children.
Through experimental fiction, Serpell’s main character is able to relay in a clear and concise manner, not necessarily the events that occurred, but instead the emotion that emerged as a result of those events. I recently spoke with Namwali Serpell about The Furrows and all that went into it. Here’s our conversation.
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The Furrows by Namwali Serpell was published by Hogarth Press.
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