Two African authors including Zimbabwean Tsitsi Dangarembga and Ethiopian-American Maaza Mengiste have both made the six-book shortlist for the prestigious Booker Prize.
But at every turn in her attempt to make a life for herself, she is faced with a fresh humiliation, until the painful contrast between the future she imagined and her daily reality ultimately drives her to a breaking point.
In the wake of the noble recognition, Dangarembga, on her Twitter page said she was "overwhelmed and delighted" by the nomination:
Also shortlisted is Mengiste’s The Shadow King which focuses on the life of an orphan as Italy's wartime fascist dictator Benito Mussolini's forces threaten to invade Ethiopia.
"I don't know what to say. OH MY GOD!" she tweeted in response to the news that she was shortlisted.
Last year, British-Nigerian writer Bernadine Evaristo became the first black woman to win the prize for her book Girl, Woman, Other.
Previous African winners include Nadine Gordimer, JM Coetzee and Ben Okri.
The other books shortlisted for this year's award are: The New Wilderness by Diane Cook, Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi, Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, Real Life by Brandon Taylor.
Any book written in English and published in Britain is eligible for the award.
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