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A review by 2treads
Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
-Nature is as such: its cruelty to one creature is a windfall to another- Miisi.
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Makumbi weaves stories. Her prose is clear yet intimate, making it very easy for her reader to become immersed. The weaving of folktales and proverbs/idioms throughout the narrative serves to enrapture the reader and the manner in which they are used to impart a lesson or the values of a family is very familiar from a cultural standpoint.
🇺🇬
This is more than an multi-generational saga, this is a story that explores community, relationships, social mentality, and selfhood.
Each descendant's life circumstances and struggles is laid out for the reader to glimpse certain facets that make up a life, to piece together the scattered people of this family, to move the chips on the board and hopefully uncover what is contained within and what can blossom.
🇺🇬
While we get to know these characters, the changing face of Buganda and Uganda is also explored, with tidbits of history being weaved throughout from tribal times through colonialism and to independence. Makumbi also intersperses certain details that add an elevatory element to the tale she tells.
🇺🇬
Seeing how clearly Makumbi leads up to the culmination of this family's path, how she shows the threads that bind, that no matter how far we go, who we disown, what we deny, family remains. This is as much a story of approaching healing as it is one that tracks the thread of one family through generations. We are taken on a journey through broken minds, relationships, responses, and individuals, coming full circle with acknowledgement and acceptance.
🇺🇬
🇺🇬
Makumbi weaves stories. Her prose is clear yet intimate, making it very easy for her reader to become immersed. The weaving of folktales and proverbs/idioms throughout the narrative serves to enrapture the reader and the manner in which they are used to impart a lesson or the values of a family is very familiar from a cultural standpoint.
🇺🇬
This is more than an multi-generational saga, this is a story that explores community, relationships, social mentality, and selfhood.
Each descendant's life circumstances and struggles is laid out for the reader to glimpse certain facets that make up a life, to piece together the scattered people of this family, to move the chips on the board and hopefully uncover what is contained within and what can blossom.
🇺🇬
While we get to know these characters, the changing face of Buganda and Uganda is also explored, with tidbits of history being weaved throughout from tribal times through colonialism and to independence. Makumbi also intersperses certain details that add an elevatory element to the tale she tells.
🇺🇬
Seeing how clearly Makumbi leads up to the culmination of this family's path, how she shows the threads that bind, that no matter how far we go, who we disown, what we deny, family remains. This is as much a story of approaching healing as it is one that tracks the thread of one family through generations. We are taken on a journey through broken minds, relationships, responses, and individuals, coming full circle with acknowledgement and acceptance.
🇺🇬
Content Warnings
Minor: Incest