It’s 1976, and after six years in the U.S.A., Wanjikũ and Kabogo decide to return to their native Kenya—a country alive with hope and eager to shape its future as an independent nation. But leaving America comes at a cost. The Mũchokis had seemed poised to build a life for themselves in Hartford, Connecticut. Now, Kabogo’s sudden decision to return home catches his wife off guard. Their marriage isn’t exactly rosy, and moving back to Nairobi might rock the boat even more. And without her friend Karen to confide in, how will Wanjikũ cope?
Soon, Nairobi brings even more unexpected challenges. Kabogo’s promised lucrative government position turns out to be a mirage. His efforts to make his own way increasingly force him to ignore Wanjikũ and their young daughter. The family begins to drift apart, living under the same roof but barely communicating. Against a backdrop of political unrest and endemic corruption, they struggle to stay together. Increasingly isolated, Wanjikũ begins to step out of her husband’s shadow while forging vibrant new friendships and making a name for herself as a fashion designer.
Written by Ndirangu Githaiga, SUNSHINE ON THE CROOKED ROAD threads the history of Kenya’s colonization into the saga of the couple’s relationship. It’s skillfully woven, as Githaiga provides insight into the changes Kenya experienced after gaining independence from Great Britain through small but telling flashbacks and capsule asides. For example, the history of the Carrier Corps—the hundreds of thousands of men conscripted by the British for menial labor on the frontlines of World War I—is explored in an introductory passage about Kariokor (the neighborhood named after them), which still echoes with their legacy long after the men themselves have been forgotten. After this sidestep into painful history, Githaiga describes the area with simple, effective prose: “a working-class neighborhood of boxy, unpretentious, four-story buildings covered in flaking paint, with a kaleidoscope of colorful laundry flapping on the clotheslines stretched between them.”
Githaiga writes of the couple’s return to Nairobi and how they are struck by a different pace of life from that of the USA: “People scurried everywhere in an unrehearsed choreography that reminded Wanjikũ of safari ants stampeding to and fro across a village path.” By contrast, Githaiga’s writing style is unhurried, simple, and clean. But it’s never too slow, allowing time to explore characters and their motivations. There isn’t a huge amount of drama, despite the looming specter of a possible fatal illness, but the author nonetheless handles emotions and relationship dynamics convincingly when they do arise. Another positive is the frequent use of words derived from Swahili and vernacular dialects. As Githaiga notes in his preface, “Commonly used untranslatable exclamations are employed for authenticity,” supplementing the power of an already compelling novel.
SUNSHINE ON THE CROOKED ROAD is an engaging and enjoyable family drama. For international readers, Ndirangu Githaiga’s African setting and clever use of vernacular dialect offer a refreshingly distinct perspective on love and international relations.
~ Kent Lane for IndieReader