NOMINATED FOR THE 2023 BULAWAYO ARTS AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORK'In turn these stories are funny, poignant, at times shocking, but always deeply moving.' Ian Holding, Unfeeling'[a] wonderful collection of short stories' Siphiwe Ndlovu, The Theory of Flight'Bryony Rheam's short stories are skilled, perfectly formed, and compelling ... a deeply satisfying collection.' Karen Jennings, An IslandWhatever happened to Rick Astley? She imagined that he was happily married with children. A record producer, perhaps? That was the usual way with singers, wasn't it?From Bryony Rheam, the award-winning author of All Come to Dust and This September Sun, comes a collection of sixteen short stories shining a spotlight on life in Zimbabwe over the last twenty years. The daily routines and the greater fate of ordinary Zimbabweans are represented with a deft, compassionate touch and flashes of humour. From the potholed side streets of Bulawayo to lush, blooming gardens, traversing down- at-heel bars and faded drawing rooms, the stories in Whatever Happened to Rick Astley? ring with hope and poignancy, and pay tribute to the resilience of the human spirit.
