Train on Thursday: We Need New Names, NoViolet Bulawayo

I travel with public transport on regular base. One of my favourite past times when in bus or train besides reading is checking out what other people read. I usually look these books up (especially when someone is so hooked they don't notice me checking them out) to see if they would be something for me. In this weekly I will introduce you to the books I spotted while travelling.
If you want to join in this weekly feel free to write your own post on the books you spot. That can be anywhere, in the park, on the street, in line at the book store / library. There is a linky in the bottom to link up your post or you can leave a comment!

Darling is only 10 years old, and yet she must navigate a fragile and violent world. In Zimbabwe, Darling and her friends steal guavas, try to get the baby out of young Chipo's belly, and grasp at memories of Before. Before their homes were destroyed by paramilitary policemen, before the school closed, before the fathers left for dangerous jobs abroad.
But Darling has a chance to escape: she has an aunt in America. She travels to this new land in search of America's famous abundance only to find that her options as an immigrant are perilously few.

I saw the woman in the train with this book a day after the Man Booker Prize short list was announced. She took it from her back and really looked and investigated the book  before she opened it. I was intrigued obviously. She started reading and her face stayed in a frown making me think she did not really know what she was getting herself into. I am now curious if she ended up liking the book actually.
I am going to admit something. Books set in Africa or the East do not spike my interest unless someone tells me I should read them. I would probably make the same faces the lady made, doubtful and not sure what I was going to start. So this book is not on my "to read" shelf. Did you read it and if yes what did you think about it?

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