Chasing: A Novel
Miriam has written another unforgettable story that takes you from Zimbabwe to the United States.( Parade Magazine)
The third novel from Miriam Shumba, whose two other novels have been known to keep people up all night reading comes her new, incredibly tantalizing novel that Dr. Stem has called, "A heart-felt, wise, honest, and tender book". Chasing is an inspirational fiction about the meaning of life. If you want a story that leaves you unchanged, unbothered, then this is not for you. You will be simultaneously challenged and entertained as you delve deeply into the lives of Blake Pieri and Chenai Muvhumi, two strangers from different parts of the world who are thrown together by events beyond their control. Blake Pieri thought he had his life under control until his world begins to fall apart. His wife is killed in a car accident. Two years later, his teenage daughter resents him and he has no time for his son as he tries to save his company from unscrupulous business practices and wrong choices. Blake's mother intervenes from afar and finds help in the form of a young student who is also escaping from tragedy in her home country of Zimbabwe. Immediately, Blake is suspicious of this foreigner and is determined to discredit her beliefs even as his curiosity about her God is awoken. Can Blake give in to the gentle probing of the spirit or is he content to remain on the road to destruction with no end in sight (with only heartbreak and loss at the end? Have the resentments and sense of abandonment frozen him forever? As the clashes between Chenai and Blake resonate throughout the book, it is now a matter of racing against time as he has to choose the right war, the one for his company or the battle of the soul.
Industry Reviews
Several issues confront African immigrant families who migrate to the USA. In a society where people define themselves racially, ethnically, economically, and linguistically, one will notice that members of African families have multiple identities, and each is meaningful depending on the context in which they find themselves. For many, it is a struggle to fit in, find their place in the USA and understand the meaning of moment by moment, day by day. In Chasing, Miriam eloquently explores the meaningless of life skillfully showing that sometimes life worth living is not the way that is usually celebrated. The story line is very captivating, entertaining and educational. Miriam Shumba, a prolific and passionate writer has an uncanny ability to create characters that make you dislike them and yet you root for them. You get frustrated with them and yet you sympathize. In her writing she captures your heart, she vividly gives an intimate look at choices people make, the role of faith and how God in his own ways is consistently orchestrating all events, moment by moment, creating the ideal life that we all seek. I highly recommend Miriam Shumba's third novel, Chasing because in this tender story, she grabs hold of you and never stops until the very last word. "An incredible heart-felt, wise, honest, and tender book, with overall encouragement, "Don't give up! God sees you where you are, and he hears your prayers. His answers will not look like what you are expecting, but they will be better than you could imagine".
DrStem Sithembile Mahlatini, Dr. Stem TV show.
