BY SHARON SIBINDI
Following her success at winning the Outstanding Literary Work (Fiction) during the RoilBulawayo Arts Awards (RoilBAA) for her novel titled All Come to Dust, Bryony Rheam has been nominated for a National Arts Merit Award (Nama) in the Outstanding Fiction Book category.
She is set to battle for the award with two other nominees — Leroy Mthulisi Ndlovu and Abraham Makamera.
Rheam, a winner of the international Write Your Own Christie competition, is an enthusiast of the writing of Agatha Christie. All Come to Dust is her second book written in the style of a Christie detective story. The novel is set in modern day Zimbabwe, but also looks back to the time just before independence.
Brian Jones, co-director of amaBooks, the publisher of All Come to Dust, said Rheam is a worthy contender for the award and it is encouraging that the quality of her writing is being recognised in her home country.
“The book has been published in Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom and will be coming out in the States next month. It is also available elsewhere in the world as an ebook through the African Books Collective,” he told Standard Style.
He said the novel has been well-received and getting positive reviews with Pat Brickhill (Britain Zimbabwe Society Review) saying: “Bryony Rheam shares her knowledge of the majestic Bulawayo landscape with striking portrayal of the everyday life and struggles that have affected so many Zimbabweans.”
NB Literary Magazine said: “The writing is easy, opening with a woman found dead in her bedroom, stabbed with a letter opener. However, this is Zimbabwe not Surrey and Rheam explores themes of racism and the colonial legacy…”
Sue Lewis (Goodreads) poured the same sentiments saying: “The colours, smells and the noises of Bulawayo are woven throughout this book, creating an atmosphere that leaves a lingering smell of hot concret, bright bloom bursts and a coating of orange dust on the tongue.”
The Namas are to take place in Harare on February 26 and will cover artistic endeavour for the years 2020 and 2021.