The Colours that Blind by Rutendo Tavengerwei review

Tumi has trained hard and is desperate to make the Zimbabwean national swimming team. Only by gaining a reputation as a champion will he escape most of the hatred his albinism brings. Then Tumi is forced to stay with his grandmother – his Ambuya – and the memories that haunt him night and day lead to fear that he won’t be safe.

Tumi’s uncle attacked him for the colour of his skin. And Ambuya still loves the same uncle as her son. What’s more, Ambuya is terrifying. How did she get the scars on her face anyhow?

Tumi does something desperate in an attempt to remain safe from his uncle. Desperate to reassure Tumi, Ambuya tells her story of racial hatred in Zimbabwe’s long war for independence.

With characters who come to life from the start and feel so real I felt joy for them, and wept for them, and took their advice as if it had been given by real-life people, this book is an extraordinary achievement.

It tells two stories. That of Tumi in the modern-day, whose traumatic memories and fear make him distrust others. Then there is the story of Thandiwe (Ambuya to Tumi and his sister in the modern-day narrative) who loves a white man, Matthew, at a time where being in a particular place or with someone of particular skin colour could mean instant death.

Facts about the complex political landscape are woven in. Thandie must take food for the comrades who fight for independence. Equally, she is on good terms with white missionaries, whom the comrades shun. Her relationship with Matthew is also fraught – he can’t begin to understand what Thandie experiences as a black person, despite seeing it with his own eyes. One of the big questions throughout the story is: will Matthew face up to his own privilege as a white person and defend Thandie? What will it take for him to change his behaviour when he can already see the hatred she experiences?

By telling Tumi her story, Ambuya hopes to prevent anger and fear for what he has experienced becoming lifelong hate. I can’t talk about the end without spoilers, but Tumi’s growth as a character is inspirational and he’s a strong fictional role model for teenagers today.

Tavengerwei’s story teaches us that learning about the past and recent past is the best way to broaden our own minds. Recent history has valuable lessons about the point at which anger simply becomes hate – and how hate is all-encompassing and easy to manipulate.

An extraordinary feat and a real page-turner. Rutendo Tavengerwei’s intelligence and empathy shines on every page.

• The Colours that Blind by Rutendo Tavengerwei is available now from Hot Key Books, RRP. £7.99 (Provided for review)