Days Come and Go

WINNER OF THE 2020 AHMADOU KOUROUMA PRIZE

“This is the vividly told story of three generations of women (and their husbands, friends, sons, and lovers—not necessarily in order of importance) both in Cameroon and after immigrating to France.…The ending of the book, though searing and tragic, brings us back to the overriding importance of sharing our humanity.” —Mayday

“A chronicle about a rapidly changing Cameroon, [Days Come and Go] tells the story of three generations of women. Anna, a matriarch in Paris, Abi, her daughter, and Tina, a teen who comes under the influence of a militant terrorist faction. In different ways, they all confront, love and politics, tradition and modernity.”—The Millions (Most Anticipated Books of 2022)

“Though it records family scars, this is a novel about resilience. . . . Following as three generations work to leave their painful legacies behind for the sake of their progeny, Days Come and Go is a multigenerational story about lost innocence—and about perseverance.”—Foreword Reviews

“Cameroonian writer Boum depicts a changing Cameroon through the lives of mothers and daughters.” —Publishers Weekly

“Days Come and Go, a one-two punch of Hemley Boum translated by Nchanji Njamnsi, is such a necessary addition to the landscape of francophone literature translated to English, pushing hard against the ways in which contemporary life in France is often romanticized and flattened. Its main characters are several generations of Cameroonian women, struggling to protect their autonomy and their families against the crush of global capitalism, the damaging persistence of the demands of assimilation, and the legacy and present of French colonial terrors. A bold, beautiful, and breathtaking accomplishment of a book.” —Anna Claire Weber, White Whale Bookstore (Pittsburgh, PA)

“Days Come and Go is an aching chronicle of Cameroon, told through the eyes of three generations of women. In it, Anna and her family become almost mythic archetypes, crafting a pattern of tragedy and hope. Boum expertly maneuvers between their intimate moments of joy and aching losses of innocence, all handled with tender care. ” —Laura Graveline, Brazos Bookstore (Houston, TX)

“Days Come and Go is an absorbing family drama encompassing three generations of Parisian women and the persistent pull of their Cameroonian roots. The characters are exquisitely and intimately drawn as the narrative depicts their struggles to understand one another and claim agency over their lives. Family duty and cultural assimilation play pivotal roles in how these women identify and relate to their world. It is no surprise that the author Hemley Boum is a poet—the writing has a quiet, lyrical, power as so deftly transposed in Nchanji Njamnsi’s translation. A book to capture the heart and imagination of any reader who seeks great storytelling.” —Lori Feathers, Interabang Books (Dallas, TX)

“One of the most powerful books I’ve read this year. At once a family saga and a cultural drama, three generations of Cameroonian women strive against corruption, patriarchy, shame, expectations, memory, the intransigence of the past, and the legacy of colonialism.” —Jennifer Martin, Tattered Cover (Denver, CO)

“This book! The layers! Three generations of women, a dying matriarch, an unforgettable story. One of my favorite books of 2022.” —Caitlin Luce Baker, Island Books (Mercer Island, WA)

“Abi’s mother Anna spends her last days in a Parisian hospital talking endlessly, telling the story of her life in Cameroon—her ancestors, her village, the woman who raised her and ensured she was educated, and the tragic impact of the Boko Haram insurgency. Skillfully woven around Anna’s story are the difficult truths of Abi’s life in Paris, her son’s life between Paris and Douala, and the history and realities of Cameroon.” —Margo Grimm Eule, East City Bookshop (Washington D.C.)

“This contemplative novel charting the recent history of Cameroon begins as a mother-daughter story and shifts into a harrowing narrative of three young people recruited by Boko Haram…a rich portrait of a modern African country.” —Amy Norton, Northbrook Public Library (Northbrook, IL)

“I was impressed by the way [Boum] is able to intricately weave the most personal of stories—the traumas, betrayals, and love that bind families, both blood and chosen—within the larger apocalypses that affect nations…both intimate and sweeping.” —Deb Harms, The Book Bin (Corvallis, OR)

“Thought-provoking with contrasting politics and ideals, Days Come and Go is about mothers and daughters and the power of universal love. The novel’s non-linear narrative knocks away expectations and encourages you to listen to Boum’s women and understand what compels them.” —Michelle Morris, Fort Worth Library (Fort Worth, TX)

“There’s something of Tolstoy’s War and Peace in this epic novel.…Anna and her family are archetypes of the tragedy of human existence, which may be the true subject of the talented novelist Hemley Boum’s work.” —Radio France Internationale

“Through a gallery of portraits of mothers and children struggling to survive in a patriarchal society in decline…Hemley Boum mixes both intimate and expansive stories.” —Le Monde