The Hairdresser of Harare

Socioeconomic strifes in Zimbabwe: economic demise, class divide, gender inequality and identity

What can I say?! This novel is a rollercoaster; one minute, the protagonist — Vimbai — is the Queen Bee hairdresser of Harare… the next minute, her crown is snatched…all of a sudden, she falls into a serious relationship with her rival…then, a secret comes out that shatters Vimbai and her lover.

BRIEF SUMMARY/OVERVIEW

Tendai Huchu writes a realistic and gut-wrenching story of average Zimbabweans in the 21st century. With a backdrop of the economic & societal demise and familial dysfunction, the novel gives the reader raw emotions (such as love, jealousy, hate, and joy) that all humans have felt.

Centered around Vimbai, a young single mother and talented hairdresser, the author slowly opens Vimbai’s multilayered personality. Whereby we start by seeing her — as, quite frankly — an arrogant and judgemental individual, but by the end of the novel, we see a more “emotional” and loving person (which I would like to believe is her true nature).

The protagonist's efforts to “make it” for herself and, most importantly, her daughter are her focus — especially with her strained relationship with family and ‘baby daddy.’ Thus, she lavishes on being the best hairdresser at Mrs Khumalo’s saloon. Unfortunately, when Dumisani, a new hire, joins Mrs Khumalo’s saloon, he takes over her top position (this is where her hater energy x100 comes out). This causes a one-sided rivalry on the part of Vimbai. However, this clash slowly stops when Dunmisani becomes her tenant and eventually her boyfriend. As Huchu begins to unravel a happier side of Vimbai, things turn out for the worse when a secret is revealed.

The Hairdresser of Harare is a fantastic novel that beautifully immerses the readers in the everyday life of Zimbabweans whilst giving speckles of background context to the country's political scene. In addition, I loved the portrayal of the lively and funny dynamics of the hairstylists and customers in a hair saloon — it felt like I was in the saloon with them. Overall, this novel gave a great insight into the fact that everyone deserves love, connection, and care.

TWO MAJOR THEMES:

• Gender Roles and Disparities
• Economic disparity and class

Other Themes include:

• Respectability/Seniority Politics in a Family
• Legacies of colonization: “A neighborhood with an English name is a good neighborhood.”

FINAL THOUGHTS

• LOVE:
  - Vimbai’s determination in life.
• DISLIKE:
  - Rushed ending.
  - Grammatical errors, this is probably from the publisher's end — but irked the perfectionist in me.
• RATE: 3/5
  - Why?
  ​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​- Predictable “secret” and storyline.
  ​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​ ​ ​​​- ​​Dumisin using Vimbai without her knowledge, especially with her past, was insensitive and cruel. For me, it actually made me lose small sympathy for his situation.
• FINAL THOUGHT:
  - The tone and wordings used by Vimbai throughout the novel showed this “story” was written after all had happened — so almost like a memoir — and I believe she actually dislikes Dumisin in her current timeline.
  - Although the focus was on Vimbai’s life, this novel was a means to highlight Dumisin's story through the eyes of Vimbai.
  - Whilst this book was not a stand-out storyline for me, it does highlight some crucial discussions in societies all across the globe.