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ok7a's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Colonisation
Minor: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Abortion, and Abandonment
annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book kind of surprised me in a good way. It's a novel that I had wanted to read for so long (4-5 years) but had built up in my head the way you do.
Kintu follows the extended Kintu clan and their misfortunes due to a family curse from a Ppookino (governor-type) ancestor back when the region was still the Buganda kingdom. We open with a shocking murder in present-day 2004, and jump back to 1750 to follow the ancestor Kintu. The next few sections are a serious character deep dive into several different family members in 2004. While the present-day is 2004, we jump back multiple decades as we follow different family members. The final section has the whole family coming together for a reunion to break the curse. I loved the prologue and first historical section, and appreciated the in-depth character explorations. However, the final section could've been longer and more effectively tied together the disparate threads, in my opinion.
The themes of family, intergenerational attitudes/beliefs/trauma/histories, identity, knowledge and knowing, role of religion vs. traditional beliefs, among others were well done and nicely woven in. There were some really lovely passages about identity and family (and colonization - which was a lesser theme in comparison) throughout the text. I think it also had a lot to say about family trauma and bad luck and how people reconcile that with their belief systems - a family curse is a lot easier to pin the blame on then big forces out of your control (colonialism, genetics, mental illness, poverty, etc.). That said... I was kind of left wondering whether the curse was real. And if it was, whether they were truly successful in breaking it. Nansubuga Makumbi was very smart in adding the element of "breaking the curse comes with its own negatives" - leaving you wondering if the continued bad luck was the lingering after effects of a broken curse... or the curse still working its way through the family. Really, the story works with multiple interpretations.
Per the Introduction, which I really recommend reading before the novel, this is a Ugandan novel for Ugandans, so there's little explanations or hand-holding for readers unfamiliar with the history and culture of Uganda (specifically the Ganda people and culture). It's absolutely worth the effort if, like me, you're unfamiliar. The writing is compelling and the chapters are relatively short, which propels the reader forward.
Finally, I'd absolutely read another book by this author.
Kintu follows the extended Kintu clan and their misfortunes due to a family curse from a Ppookino (governor-type) ancestor back when the region was still the Buganda kingdom. We open with a shocking murder in present-day 2004, and jump back to 1750 to follow the ancestor Kintu. The next few sections are a serious character deep dive into several different family members in 2004. While the present-day is 2004, we jump back multiple decades as we follow different family members. The final section has the whole family coming together for a reunion to break the curse. I loved the prologue and first historical section, and appreciated the in-depth character explorations. However, the final section could've been longer and more effectively tied together the disparate threads, in my opinion.
The themes of family, intergenerational attitudes/beliefs/trauma/histories, identity, knowledge and knowing, role of religion vs. traditional beliefs, among others were well done and nicely woven in. There were some really lovely passages about identity and family (and colonization - which was a lesser theme in comparison) throughout the text. I think it also had a lot to say about family trauma and bad luck and how people reconcile that with their belief systems - a family curse is a lot easier to pin the blame on then big forces out of your control (colonialism, genetics, mental illness, poverty, etc.). That said... I was kind of left wondering whether the curse was real. And if it was, whether they were truly successful in breaking it. Nansubuga Makumbi was very smart in adding the element of "breaking the curse comes with its own negatives" - leaving you wondering if the continued bad luck was the lingering after effects of a broken curse... or the curse still working its way through the family. Really, the story works with multiple interpretations.
Per the Introduction, which I really recommend reading before the novel, this is a Ugandan novel for Ugandans, so there's little explanations or hand-holding for readers unfamiliar with the history and culture of Uganda (specifically the Ganda people and culture). It's absolutely worth the effort if, like me, you're unfamiliar. The writing is compelling and the chapters are relatively short, which propels the reader forward.
Finally, I'd absolutely read another book by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Incest