Spent a few quiet moments with Dr Morayo over the last few days, and I definitely recommend Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun if you enjoy books that centre older characters. And isn’t the title just amazing?

Dr Morayo da Silva is almost 75 but she doesn’t feel it. She’s living her best life honestly, driving her Porsche, Buttercup, chatting (flirting!) with the people who come in and out of her life, reading and rereading the books that cover every surface of her apartment. But then she takes a fall, and the independence she’s kept hold of for so long begins to slip from her grasp.

Interestingly, a technique that didn’t work for me in my last read (With Teeth by Kristen Arnett) really did work for me here! Manyika includes chapters narrated from the POV of other minor characters, and here they really help to form a more rounded view of Morayo - no mean feat in just 117 pages. I’m always fascinated by the differences in the way you see yourself, and how other people must see you, and Manyika plays with that idea to great effect!

I haven’t read many books that put a spotlight on elderly Black women, so I’m grateful for this one which was truly just a charming read!