Showing results by author "Namwali Serpell" in All Categories

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. In 1904, 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 year's shortlist of six exceptional stories each take the listener on an intense and gripping journey into the human heart. With poise, precision, and a light-footed grace, they conjure dramatically different, starkly real worlds. Hailing from Ireland, the United States and The Bahamas, the finalists of 2020 share stories on subjects as far apart as their settings, exploring among them romantic and marital discord, dark secrets, homelessness and even a high school football team; yet each one opens doors into its characters' lives in surprising and moving ways.

Cassandra Williams is twelve; her little brother Wayne is seven. One day, when they're alone together, there's an accident, and Wayne is lost forever. Though his body is never recovered, their mother can't stop searching. The missing boy cleaves the family with doubt: how do you grieve an absence? And how does it feel? As C grows older, she relives and retells her story, and she sees her brother everywhere: in cafes, airplane aisles, subway cars.

Ever since high school, somebody’s been playing the echo game on Will Williams. A look-alike with the same tattoos and the same name has been following him. Starting by implicating Will in petty crimes, and escalating to offenses with serious prison terms, he’s undermined every attempt Will has made to get his life on track. Now, drifting from city to city, Will’s doing everything in his power to outrun his shadow.

A disgraced Hong Kong pop star wavers between acceptance and revenge after a sex tape scandal. An OKCupid hookup becomes a missed connection even while it's happening. A couple's quest for ever-safer sex leads to a near-fatal love triangle.

Weird, funny, and deliciously creepy, "Bottoms Up" shows us a twisted not-so-distant future where technology is used to control even the most intimate of human acts. A mismatched pair of socks brings two people together, but once they find out they’re perfect for each other, their obsession with a clean bill of health drives them to seek the ultimate in safe sex.