Book Review: Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
“Peoples bear the weight of curses longer than the princes who incur them.”
Kintu, by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, is a beautiful and heartbreaking generational narrative, based in Uganda. It spans more than 300 years and follows the repercussions of a curse placed on the patriarch - the clan Pokino - Kintu Kidda, in the mid-1700s.
The novel starts right with Kintu's [pronounced: Chintu] story, and then, switches the spotlight almost 350 years later, to his descendants. The story is divided into 6 books, the first five of which follow the lives of different members of the Kintu clan. The last book is "The Homecoming", where the descendants of Kintu finally come together, to reckon with and absolve themselves of the feared family curse, that has wreaked havoc on them for generations.
As the story progresses, you, the reader, are left to have your own reckoning with Kintu's curse. Is it truly a vehement and vengeful energy that is thrust upon an innocent family? Or, is there something far more dangerous underneath the facade of malevolent magic?
While you explore the curse through the eyes of different Kintu clan members, you are left balancing between two very distinct worlds - the past and the present; the supernatural and the natural. From its robust gripping start and all the way to its tragic (albeit hopeful) end, you find yourself sucked in deep, into both the Kintu family drama and Ugandan culture.
Jennifer is a master storyteller. The author has fleshed out each character with so much care and empathy, that you are sure to find parallels between them and yourself (or someone you know in your life). Every character evokes a variety of human emotions, reminding us, to withhold our harsh judgment. We realize, that no matter who we descend from or where we live, at our core, we are all the same. Damaged, cursed and in need of kindness.
The book is replete with references to important political, cultural, social and economic issues that have plagued Uganda from before Colonization, during British rule and after her independence. Jennifer has also done a phenomenal job in bringing traditional Ugandan beliefs and cultural practices to life, in all their vibrant glory. But the author does so, without the shadow of colonial cultural exoticism - while simultaneously making a powerful statement about the same.
While I found the first five books to be of sufficient length, the final book could have done without a chapter or two. But this in no way hampers the reading experience. Overall, it gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from me.
As the mystical merges with the mundane, a brilliant centuries-long tapestry is woven, with the hopes, dreams, fears, stigmas and taboos of ordinary people, forced to experience extraordinary circumstances. You cringe, cry, gasp and fear for the safety of this family, all the while hoping they open their eyes to the real curse inflicting them.
Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi is truly a wonderful read. At 350 pages, it isn't a behemoth by any standards; but its scope is vast and spans the breadth of the Ugandan landscape and imagination.
I listened to the book on Audible, which accounts for roughly 14 hours 38 minutes. The book is narrated by Kalungi Ssebandeke, whose highly authentic Ugandan pronunciation and inflection, paint an unforgettable picture that stays with you for long.
If readers need more reasons to pick up this book, they'd be interested to know that Jennnifer's book was "rejected" by British publishers because it was “too African” for their taste. Jennifer's mistake - they say - was to create a cast of characters made 99% of Ugandans, use authentic Ugandan names that were hard for Western (read: English) audiences to pronounce, and write a story that did not offer sufficient wordcount to the colonial view of Uganda.
If this doesn't scream "authentic", I don't know what does. ;D
Of course, Jennnifer did go on to win the Kwani? Manuscript Project award, the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and the coveted Windham Campbell Prize for Kintu. She was also longlisted for the Etisalat Prize for Literature.
So, all's well that ends well, I guess?
Book Rating: 4.5/5 stars
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