Reviews for Push- Push!

The average rating for Push- Push! based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-01-16 00:00:00 Umberto Lanzafame Push-Push! is a collection of eight short stories by South African writer Sindiwe Magona. I was somewhat disappointed by this collection, since I adored Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night so much, but amidst all of the "meh"-stories, there were some gems in here. A Drowing in Cala - 2/5 The first story in this collection focuses on the drowing of a young boy and the unconventional way in which his family deals with his death. Contrary to the community's advice, the family decided to seek out a 'sangoma' (a diviner) who had advised against mourning the death. He told the family that the boy was, in fact, not dead at all and would resurface alive from the river, if the family sacrificed and ox and other nourishments to the river god. The community's disapproval of those actions shows itself in a horrifying manner: local schoolboys decide to feast on the sacrificed goods, thus disrespecting the family's ritual. Personally, this story didn't do anything for me. I thought it was a little over-ambitious since it was rather short but still tried to encompass a lot of different point of views. House-Hunting Unlike Soweto - 2/5 The second story focuses on a single-mother who moved with her two young children from a South African town to New York City. The story details her struggle to find a suitable home for her family. The mother is overwhelmed by the bureaucratic side of house-hunting and her nativity is shown when she mistakes a monthly rent for the purchase of the whole house. I thought it was interesting to see the comparison between real estate in South Africa versus the United States, however, I found the writing lacking in this story, and didn't end up enjoying it. Push-Push! - 4/5 The third story is about a community who is tricked into putting all their money in 'Push-Push' found. At first, people got more money out of it than they put in, but quickly the scam is revealed and the community is left in shambles. I really liked the writing style in this one. Sindiwe Magona did an amazing job at capturing the voice of a child (whose frustrated with her father for not investing in the fund). The overarching message of not putting all of your value on money and material goods was good as well, albeit a little on the nose. Comrade, Heal Yourself! - 2.5/5 The fourth story depicts the life of an South African doctor, coming from a poorer neighbourhood, he is one of the few who "made it" and was able to move into one of the better suburbs. One day, his past resurfaces and he is shot dead in his medical practice by his old childhood friends who envy him. This story was super weird. It started out as an overly-cheesy love story between the doctor and his wife, who is expecting a baby, and then turned into this weird murder plot … I was confused. Certain scenes were incredibly well-done, like the intrusion into the medical practice, but overall the story felt rather clumsy and all over the place. I'm Not Talking About That Now - 2/5 The fifth story details one mother's desperate attempt at getting food for her family at the times of crisis. As the local Black youth has called for boycott of all white businesses (supermarkets etc.) and start patrolling the streets and checking on whether the community abides to their self-made "laws", a mother is brought to the brink of desperation and goes food-shopping in a neighbouring town. When she sneaks back home, she is attacked by the local gangs, and realizes with shock that her son is one of them. Again, this story was super weird. I found the social commentary interesting but thought that the ending (with the father unintentionally killing the boy) came totally out of the blue. It really didn't do anything for me. A Peaceful Exit - 3/5 This is the story of a young principal who learns that he has only a couple of months to live due to his cancer. He then decides to confess all of his sins and confront the people in his life about it. I appreciate this story a lot because it shows the moral corruption of human beings. I found the passages in which the principal tries to atone for his sins most interesting, in them he details, for example, that he had an affair with one of his students but then expelled another student for it so that he wouldn't lose his job, or that he hindered the advancement of two of his students so that they could stay on the school's rugby team and gain the school some prestige. The Widow - 4/5 In the seventh story, a white woman has killed her husband since he wanted to leave her for his Black mistress. No one is aware of her crime, since the husband's death is treated like suicide. I found the story incredibly interesting; it even reminded me of Chopin's The Story of an Hour, since it has a similar theme of a newly widow being perceived to be mourning her husband, while in fact, she is not. The underlying tension in regards to the perception of Black maids was interesting as well, since the wife clearly didn't see the other woman as "human", and was insulted that her husband would leave her for an "animal". The Hand That Kills - 5/5 After having joined a local gang, the Lagunya Panther, a Black boy is talked into killing the white elderly men who has always treated him like a son, since his birth-father is absent. This was by far the most interesting story; the writing was absolutely sublime, definitely Magona at her best. I found the internal conflict of the protagonist fascinating to read about. He didn't go to Mr Walker's house with the intention of shooting him, he thought himself incapable of that … but somehow Mr Walker ended up dead. I appreciate the open ending of the story because it leaves open the interpretation that Mr Walker killed himself so that the boy wouldn't "have" to shoot him. It is a chilling read! The Sacrificial Lamb - 4.5/5 In this story, two South African women who migrated to the United States talk about their families and how these have a wrong perception of them, thinking, since they are the ones who "made it", they must be rich and have everything they want. They voice the frustration that their family members only seem to call when they want money from them. I really appreciate this story since it reminded me a lot of my dad and the frustration he feels at times with his family in Cameroon. For him, it is impossible to make them understand that by German standards he is by no means rich (not even middle class), and honestly can't give them all the money they need. Bhelekazi's Father - 3.5/5 The last story in this collection focuses on an odd family who is lives in a very small house in a small city. They avoid contact to the local families, and thus seem very mysterious to them. One day, they decide to go back to the village and marry their daughter off; the twist lies in the fact that the father only has money enough for one train ticket, so his wife stays behind. This was a solid story with many twists and turns that you didn't expect, but nothing that'll stick with me for a long time.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-04-20 00:00:00 Tracey Young An interesting collection of short stories that ranges from rural Transkei to expatriate life in New York via the townships of Cape Town. I enjoyed the variety and each story made me reconsider assumptions of life in South Africa. The collection beautifully encapsulates the complexity of South African society.