In Without a Name (1994), Mazvita, a young woman from the country, travels to Harare to escape the war and begin a new life. But her dreams of independence are short-lived. She begins a relationship of convenience and becomes pregnant. In Under the Tongue (1996), the adolescent Zhizha has lost the will to speak. In lyrical fragments, Vera reveals the story of Zhizha's parents, and the horrifying events that led to her mother's imprisonment and her father's death. With this novel Vera became the first Zimbabwean woman ever to deal frankly with incest. With these surprising, at times shocking novels Vera shows herself to be a writer of great potential.
- ISBN10 0374528160
- ISBN13 9780374528164
- Publish Date 13 February 2002 (first published 31 December 1995)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 13 December 2008
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc
- Format Paperback
- Pages 234
- Language English