From a breathtaking new voice, a novel about a splintered family in Kenya—a story of power and deceit, unrequited love, survival and sacrifice.
Odidi Oganda, running for his life, is gunned down in the streets of Nairobi. His grief-stricken sister, Ajany, just returned from Brazil, and their father bring his body back to their crumbling home in the Kenyan dry lands, seeking some comfort and peace.
But the murder has stirred memories long left untouched and unleashed a series of unexpected events: Odidi and Ajany’s mercurial mother flees in a fit of rage; a young Englishman arrives at the Ogandas’ house, seeking his missing father; a hardened policeman who has borne witness to unspeakable acts reopens a cold case; and an all-seeing Trader with a murky identity plots an overdue revenge.
In scenes stretching from the violent upheaval of contemporary Kenya back through a shocking political assassination in 1969 and the Mau Mau uprisings against British colonial rule in the 1950s, we come to learn the secrets held by this parched landscape, buried deep within the shared past of the family and of a conflicted nation.
Here is a spellbinding novel about a brother and sister who have lost their way; about how myths come to pass, history is written, and war stains us forever.
Chief, –
Dust is a novel that immediately came to mind when I was considering writing this story. The book deals with themes of grief, loss and forgiveness and critically examines modern Kenyan identity, but it’s intrigue lies in its unconventional narrative structure. Owuor moves through time creating mystery and transforming death into life, masterfully weaving the single threads into a rich tapestry. Her imagery is stunningly beautiful and alchemical; the titular dust combining with rain water to become mud, which in turn is shaped into new forms that hold endless possibilities.