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Far from Home

by Na'ima B. Robert (Goodreads Author)

4.45 of 5 stars 4.45 · rating details · 20 ratings · 12 reviews

Will I ever see my home again? I do not know.
Will I ever see my father again? I do not know.
Will life ever be the same again? I do not know.
Katie and Tariro are worlds apart but their lives are linked by a terrible secret, gradually revealed in this compelling and dramatic story of two girls grappling with the complexities of adolescence, family and a painful colonial leg...more

Paperback, 352 pages

Published May 22nd 2012 by Frances Lincoln Children's Books (first published August 4th 2011)

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Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

Books Set in Zimbabwe

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Jun 14, 2011 Clover (Fluttering Butterflies) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sent-for-review, own, ya, books-read-in-2011

Far From Home by Na'ima B. Robert was a real joy to read. I don't have very much experience or knowledge of the political turmoil that Zimbabwe has faced, both with colonialism and with reclaiming their independence, but I am always fascinated when authors have the ability to tell a good story, fill it with such emotion as well as educate me in a very subtle manner.

I was lucky enough to read Na'ima B. Robert's previous books for a YA audience last year and loved the gentle nature of them and how...more Far From Home by Na'ima B. Robert was a real joy to read. I don't have very much experience or knowledge of the political turmoil that Zimbabwe has faced, both with colonialism and with reclaiming their independence, but I am always fascinated when authors have the ability to tell a good story, fill it with such emotion as well as educate me in a very subtle manner.

I was lucky enough to read Na'ima B. Robert's previous books for a YA audience last year and loved the gentle nature of them and how very different both Boy Vs. Girl and From Somalia, With Love are to anything else I'd read previously. And while Far From Home is different in tone and structure to her previous books, it is still writtten in a very engaging and emotional voice and I fell into the story very easily.

Far From Home is split into three parts with two different narrators. Tariro and Katie are two very different girls both living in Zimbabwe. Through the eyes of both girls we are able to see the changing landscape of Zimbabwe, from the time of British colonialism to after Independence.

Tariro's account of her life before the white settlers has arrived is quite beautiful. She loves her family and her way of life. She loves the land and the old baobab tree that sits on her family's land. She has everything in front of her, with her recent engagement to childhood sweetheart, Nhamo. But it is not be, for the white soldiers who have moved in have other plans for the people and for this land. Despite some resistance, the dignity of Tariro and her family and community is slowly stripped as each thing that they hold dear is stripped from them, from their land, their homes, and finally their freedom.

It's quite difficult to read some sections of this book - Tariro and her family must live through such tragic events. There's such cruelty and inhumane treatment. It's heartbreaking to read of the suffering of these people but despite it all, inside Tariro still burns with hope and the strength to endure.

While I didn't feel as emotionally connected to Katie's story or to her outlook on her and her family's way of life, I was able to understand a bit how things had reached such a point. And despite how unsympathetic I felt Katie is as a character, I was still entirely gripped by the story to continue reading and to find out what possible outcome or connection there are between these two girls.

I think Far From Home is an incredible story, filled with so much heart and hope. I really no idea that such atrocities had occurred and I'm very glad to have had my eyes opened to this time of turmoil in Zimbabwe's history. Highly recommended. (less)

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Nov 27, 2011 Rumbi rated it 5 of 5 stars

As a 'born free' Zim girl, I can't even begin to describe the emotions this book has stirred in me. This book has opened my eyes, made me feel a great sense of pride of who I am and ancestors before me. I feel so encouraged, so inspired to give back to a land and people that has given me so much. And all because of this book, the style of writing is so engaging, painful at times because of how the story is so emotionally charged but always engaging. I'm in awe in how she managed to capture all t...more

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Jun 11, 2011 Na'ima Robert rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

It is wrong to say this. But I love this book. The fact that I wrote not withstanding, I love it. As an author, not every book will necessarily speak to you, move you to tears, leave you shaken on the fourth or fifth reading. This one does.

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Aug 04, 2011 Kirsty rated it 4 of 5 stars

In a captivating tale about two teenage girls divided by decades and racial prejudice, Na'ima B Robert weaves an absorbing story about how the fight for land has shaped Zimbabwe's colonial legacy.
Far From Home is told through the eyes of Tariro and Katie, worlds apart but linked through the war over the fertile land surrounding a baobab tree in Masvingo, and a terrible family secret.
Tariro is a “daughter of the soil”, born beneath a baobab tree in the land of her ancestors, surrounded by her lov...more
In a captivating tale about two teenage girls divided by decades and racial prejudice, Na'ima B Robert weaves an absorbing story about how the fight for land has shaped Zimbabwe's colonial legacy.
Far From Home is told through the eyes of Tariro and Katie, worlds apart but linked through the war over the fertile land surrounding a baobab tree in Masvingo, and a terrible family secret.
Tariro is a “daughter of the soil”, born beneath a baobab tree in the land of her ancestors, surrounded by her loving family.
Her story begins in Rhodesia in 1964 when she is a young teenager in love with broad-shouldered, brave Nhamo who makes “fireflies dance” in her belly.
But their lives are hit by tragedy when the Native Land Husbandry Act in enforced by the brutal Deputy District Commissioner, Ian Watson.
Tariro's fighting spirit is awoken when her people, the Karanga who have the totem of a lion, are driven off their fertile land. Their homes destroyed by fire in a swift and bloody battle and they are moved to a Reserve, “a place of death” where the soil is dry and tired and the people are starving.
Katie's story begins in 2000, she is a 14-year-old privileged, care-free farm girl with a doting father and a love of their sprawling Masvingo farm, which has a giant baobab at its centre.
But her life is changed forever when her beloved farm is reclaimed by war-veterans and her family is exiled from the dust and heat of the land she loves, to the cold of a desolate council flat in rainy London.
As their two worlds collide, Tariro and Katie are forced to confront their prejudices, dark family secrets and the truth of their turbulent history.
Robert's writing is simple but evocative, her connection with Zimbabwe is evident in the raw emotion of her story.
It is obvious she engages more with Tariro, thrilling in the rich detail and earthy descriptions of her life in her rural homestead.
Katie is not as easy to identify with, possibly because her story is shorter – although no less absorbing - and Robert is less sympathetic towards her.
In places her story is light on detail, we do not learn much about Tariro's role in the bush war and how it affects her family or the aftermath of Katie's loss of her farm and her disintegrating family life. And the story ends at the point it gets most interesting, when the different worlds of the central characters collide far from the land they love.
Despite this, Robert's vivid imagery bring to life the sights, sounds and smells of rural Zimbabwe and her's is an engaging tale with an interesting twist on Zimbabwe's recent and turbulent history.(less)

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Aug 07, 2012 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: abuse, adult, historical, multicultural, multiple-voices, politics, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A beautiful story that surprised me with its complexity. I was drawn in by the characters, specifically Tariro, one of the two main characters narrating the story. Tariro is doing what young girls in Africa do, taking care of her siblings and helping with the crops until the white men come and begin the fight for land and power. Tariro is also in love with a much-talked about boy Nhamo but she is torn from him when Nhamo is beaten and blinded for defending Tariro from a white man's physical abus...more A beautiful story that surprised me with its complexity. I was drawn in by the characters, specifically Tariro, one of the two main characters narrating the story. Tariro is doing what young girls in Africa do, taking care of her siblings and helping with the crops until the white men come and begin the fight for land and power. Tariro is also in love with a much-talked about boy Nhamo but she is torn from him when Nhamo is beaten and blinded for defending Tariro from a white man's physical abuse. She is told to forget him because he is damaged. Heartbreakingly, Tariro finds herself in another dangerous situation and the same white man, Ian, sexually assaults her, leading to a pregnancy. She begins to love the baby and welcomes this blue eyed, light skinned beauty into the world. Unfortunately her call to duty is strong and she goes to fight for independence.

Around this time, the story of Katie breaks in. From the beginning you sense that she is Ian's daughter and he is now farming the land he forced Tariro and her clan from years earlier. Katie is living a privileged lifestyle and is daddy's girl. Upon her return to the farm, she is haunted by her shunning of her black friend when her parents arrived, yet there are underpinnings of doubt as to what is wrong with befriending blacks, especially when she sees the way her mother abuses and distrusts the help and especially after she discovers her shunned uncle married a black woman and was ostracized from the family. Yet, she is indebted to them when her father turns drunk and her mother leaves the family after they're removed from their farm and move without much money to London.

Then comes the redemptive finale that is realistic because it is not tidy. In her older age, Tariro, her half-white daughter born of rape, and her husband Nhamo (yes the same one she was barred from marrying she ended up marrying because of the power of love!) get their chance to face Ian and his ugliness. But, Tariro is patient and although she is able to explain to Katie that the same baobab tree Katie loved on her farm was the same tree that Tariro was born under and rightly so, the land is now Tariro's again. The rest, Tariro is contented to wait until another time and place to explain to Katie.

There are several storylines that I wished were developed or not included at all because they were distracting, yet overall, this is a necessary story of Zimbabwe's independence told through two girls' experiences. Certainly worth its place on world literature and history reading lists. (less)

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Jan 22, 2013 Dianna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

OH. MY GOSH. this book is unreal. Tariro's story is heart-wrenching, and then Katie's addition to it shakes you while you're still in Tariro's world...and once you're fully in Katie's world, her story is equally as powerful. I recommend this to EVERYONE. EVERYONE!!!! Even guys. becuase normally guys don't read books that are written through a girl's point of view, but this one is soooo worth it.

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Aug 03, 2011 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens, literary, real-life, review-copy, ya

Some books are powerful - thanks to the prose, the story or the subject matter. Far From Home is powerful because of all three. It describes the sharp and terrible events in what used to be Rhodesia and is now Zimbabwe. It shows the rise of Robert Mugabe to power. It manages to portray both sides of a conflict that tore a country apart and was a dark period in world history.

First we meet Tariro, and gain an insight into the lives of the Karanga people. She is a bright and charming young girl, in...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Gugu rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I heard the story line of this book I was initially very apprehencious as I felt that few authors are able to captures two sides of an emotionally charged issue. The land. Somehow Na'ima manages to achieve this without compromising the integrity of either side of the story.

I won't say that i enjoyed the book, as "enjoy" is not the right word for it. It gripped me - i finished it in one weekend. It moved me - I did cry. It made me angry and upset. Made me grateful and proud. Made my uncomfor...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Myne Whitman rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a deeply emotional novel and some parts of it were very difficult to read. Not because they weren't well written but because of the subject matter that was being handled. Set in Rhodesia which later became Zimbabwe, this book narrates two strands of a life potrait, as different as they are alike. A young African girl is born on the land, and then torn from it in very painful circumstances, in the same place but another time, a young white Zimbabwe girl also has to come to terms with losi...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Miss M rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: family, young-adult

A story of two lives at two very different, but turbulent time periods within the same country and how those very different lives are brought together by fate. Excellent read.

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Jun 08, 2012 Buckham Teens Library added it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Zimbabwe, 1980s and present-day.

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Nov 13, 2012 matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

the writing is really bad sometimes but its structure is interesting giving both the black experience of the shift to rhodesia and the white experience of the shift to zimbabwe. then when they meet in the end!?!?!?!? *burger wrappers fly through the air and into my face as i stand proudly atop a rock looking over Home Depot* "i work there" i tell the subordinate

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About Na'ima B. Robert

Na’ima B. Robert is a published author and magazine publisher. Her books include the popular ‘From my sisters’ lips’, and teen novels, ‘From Somalia, with love’, ‘Boy vs. Girl’, the award-winning 'Far from Home' (Winner of Published Children’s Books at the Muslim Writers Awards 2011) as well as several children's books. She is founder and Editor-in-Chief of Discover, the new magazine for curious M...more

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