Nervous Conditions is a wrenching chronicle of the coming of age of Tambu, a teenage girl in 1960s Rhodesia, and her relationship with her British-educated cousin, Nyasha. Tambu, who yearns to be free of the constraints of her rural village, thinks her dreams have come true when her wealthy uncle offers to sponsor her education. But education at his mission school comes with a price. There she meets sophisticated Nyasha, whose rebellion against her father brings disaster. With irony and skill, Dangarembga explores the struggle of two young women to liberate themselves in a society still suffering the effects of colonization.

"Includes an interview with the author"--Cover.