Excerpt from Before the Mango Ripens by Afabwaje Kurian, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"You are marrying Zanya," Jummai said.

Nami turned from the paper she was marking. "What?"

"Zanya. You are marrying him?"

"Yes, after the church is built, it is there we want to marry." Jummai heard the fear in Nami's voice at what she had asked. The pitiful look she had given Jummai was replaced with curiosity and concern.

"How do you know Zanya?" Nami asked in a voice that made Elijah glance up from his composition book at her. "I did not know you knew him."

"Who in this town doesn't know him?" Jummai said. "Everybody knows him." Nami opened her mouth a little as if she wanted to ask questions, but Jummai continued talking. "Zanya comes here to see Reverend Jim. Sometimes, he will come to see Mai Hankali. On Sundays, he will come and eat the evening meal with the both of them. You know the man used to live on this mission compound, in Reverend Jim's house."

"That must be how you know each other," Nami said.

"Before nko? How else would I know him?" Jummai said.

Nami tilted her head like she had earlier with Elijah. Jummai said nothing for a while, and then she said, "You want water, 

Nami? You are looking thirsty."

"Yes," Nami said this time. "Yes, thank you."

Excerpted from Before the Mango Ripens by Afabwaje Kurian. Copyright © 2024 by Afabwaje Kurian. Excerpted by permission of Dzanc Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.