The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

The First Woman

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

Set in Uganda just after the fall of Idi Amin. Kirabo is surrounded by a large loving family but where is her mother? Great characters, complicated family relationships mixed with a little early Ugandan history - rich in local customs and traditions. The most enjoyable chapters for me were those on her childhood games and pastimes. An enjoyable read and a definite for family saga fans.

Extract

Until that night, Kirabo had not cared about her. She was curious on occasion (‘Where is she? What does she look like? How does it feel to have a mother? That sort of thing), but whenever she asked about her, and the family said No one knows about her, in that never mind way of large families, she dropped it. After all, she was with family and she was loved. But then recently her second self, the one who did mad things, had started to fly out of her body she had linked the two.

Parallels
  • The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma
  • Dust by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
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Violence
Explicit sexual content