Scan barcode
A review by lauraadriana78
Nairobi Heat by Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ
3.0
I REALLY wished I would have liked this book better.
It had so many elements that could have made it awesome. But the characters just did not live up to the lives and times they were supposed to be leading.
The Rwandan genocide, trauma, African diaspora in the US, racism, East Africa, NGOs in Africa, corruption and aid...So many things that could have made a crime novel outstanding. Just never gelled for me.
I was never in Nairobi completely in this book, I got glimpses, but it was a different one from the one I know.
The only way I can describe it is, and amazingly gutsy literary effort, that felt like it had a bit of an identity crisis.
Is it worth the read? I would say yes, there are very interesting elements if you want to learn a little bit about recent African history. But I wish I could have loved it more.
It had so many elements that could have made it awesome. But the characters just did not live up to the lives and times they were supposed to be leading.
The Rwandan genocide, trauma, African diaspora in the US, racism, East Africa, NGOs in Africa, corruption and aid...So many things that could have made a crime novel outstanding. Just never gelled for me.
I was never in Nairobi completely in this book, I got glimpses, but it was a different one from the one I know.
The only way I can describe it is, and amazingly gutsy literary effort, that felt like it had a bit of an identity crisis.
Is it worth the read? I would say yes, there are very interesting elements if you want to learn a little bit about recent African history. But I wish I could have loved it more.