A review by dukegregory
The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ And Mũmbi by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

4.0

Ngugi wa Thiong'o succeeds in the difficult task of making an epic work in the contemporary literary landscape. Maybe that's because I'm less versed in Kenyan mythology and the general literary tradition, but, regardless, this feels so life-affirming in a powerful way. The ending made me tear up which took me by surprise. In general, Ngugi wa Thiong'o's verse style is sparse, and, as epics go, the story is economical, yet he hits the right notes to confront the form's lack of deeper characterization, making it a poem that, by the end, has the reader connected to the beauty of blackness, womanhood, and the Kenyan culture/the united vision of Africa he portrays so simply yet vividly. Sad this didn't make the shortlist over something like The Dangers of Smoking in Bed or the The War of the Poor, especially considering his excellent, fluid self-translation.