Glory

In this political fable, 2013 Booker Prize nominee Bulawayo (We Need New Names) exposes years of corrupt autocratic rule in the fictional African country Jidada. The Father of the Nation, Old Horse, actually an aging horse, is married to glamorous Dr. Sweet Mother, a donkey with ambitions of her own. Protected by the Defenders, a brutal army of dogs, these animals symbolize Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace but could be interpreted as any regime that refuses to step aside when voted out. In a wry nod to the previous U.S. administration, Bulawayo writes of a contentious #freefairncredibleelection that will “make Jidada great again” and she refers to China’s pillaging of Jidada’s abundant natural resources as an all-you-can-eat buffet. The novel covers decades of history but unfortunately lacks a cohesive plot, so that midway through, when the author introduces Destiny Khumalo, an exiled goat returning to her birthplace, it’s difficult to become invested in her story.