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  "Kintu felt for Gitta. He knew the snare of being a man. Society heaped such expectations on manhood that in a bid to live up to them some men snapped." "Primigravida, fourteen years old?" Beautifully written, Makumbi takes us back in time through different branches of the family tree. The book is a journey through generations, delicately addressing important issues in a way that is easy to understand. At a point, you want to bring the story to an end so you can solve the mystery, but each story addresses different themes. History, Religion, Family ties, War, Masculinity, Sexuality, and incest.  "The awakened had shaken off most of Ugandan culture yet aspects of traditional manhood persisted. Cooking is unmanly". As in Kanani's case, that a man would subject himself to eating horrible food even when he cooked better, just because of culture is astonishing. Interesting, enjoyable and quite long💬

The first book of the year💪. A collection of 15 short stories. Set in Nigeria, Toni kan takes us through the life of the different characters excellently and honestly. Many of the stories are relatable, albeit heart-wrenching. The stories are quite too sad to take in at once. Shame, guilt, corruption, and infidelity are some of the themes used in the stories.  "God is listening" and "Devil's overtime" are my favorite stories from the collection. Children should not be left to fend for themselves, it puts them at risk.