The Hangman's Replacement

Synopsis from Goodreads (Kirkus Review):

"A desperate villager’s quest to become Zimbabwe’s newest executioner kicks off this intriguing debut horror novel involving man-eating plants, organ harvesting and other uncanny oddities.

Abel Muranda is a devoted family man determined to do whatever it takes to feed his starving rural family, even if it means journeying far into the big city on foot in the hope of landing a job as the government’s hangman. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s ruling elite is in an uproar because someone has created a batch of carnivorous flame lilies capable of digging up the dead—and the government’s ghastly secrets, as the plants have been unearthing unmarked graves. Nothing is as it seems in Chiveneko’s science-fiction–tinged tale, which introduces readers to a lethal cast of bad guys and bad girls with tangled motivations.

One intriguing subplot follows a man charged with creating a special gallows to be used for executions; he uses discarded weapons of war as his raw materials and would rather spend time cuddling up to his cold, metallic creation than to his warm, loving wife.

At nearly 500 pages, this intricately woven novel is a disconcerting parable exploded to epic proportions. The author renders its many characters, from the mad genius responsible for the impending botanical apocalypse, to the prostitute/undercover operative who falls in love with Abel, to the seemingly simple Abel himself, with frightening subtlety and detail."

This was a very ill-written book. I found it hard to finish the book. The story failed to capture the main context of the "hangman's replacement", incorporating a lot of confusing elements - characters, situations, history - that failed to make any sense at all. It left me hanging, leaving with lots of unanswered questions as to who's who and what's what. The author failed to smoothly stitch the story together, leaving some parts forgotten already. Although the writing was extremely creative, and I appreciate some of the "practical quotes" introduced, I sometimes found the usage of too many metaphors too burdensome to read, and sometimes quite unnecessary. The high expectation given to readers was not met at all, this lacked any emotional substance, leaving the reader to finish the book just to unveil everything and yet the ending was an "epic fail". The announcement of a second book and more, adding to the series, failed to stimulate my interest and excitement. It's best left unread and forgotten than be left frustrated and disappointed in the end.