The Sack by Namwali Serpell is an engrossing and interesting short story fitted with a melancholic feel. I believe the judges also felt the same when they awarded it the Caine prize for African Writing 2015.

The story starts out with a conversation. An ailing old man narrates a dream he had to J.; his steward, talking about how a man was tied in a sack while being dragged along the road by another man. This is an absolute opener to a plot. While the reader only perceives a bland conversation not understanding its significance, it still pulls one in, sprouting an eagerness to know what comes afterwards.