Mr. Fix It

Ebamba's name means "mender" in Lingala, but everything in the Congolese twenty-something's life seems to be falling apart. In the chaotic megacity of Kinshasa, the educated but unemployed young man must navigate the ever widening distance between tradition and modernity--from the payment of his fiancee's exorbitant dowry to the unexpected sexual confession of his best friend--as he struggles with responsibility and flirts with temptation. The first novel to be translated into English from the Lingala, Mr. Fix It introduces major new talent Richard Ali A Mutu, who leads a new generation of writers whose work portrays the everyday realities of Congolese life with the bold, intense style associated with the country's music and fashion.