Peter Kimani, Ed., Nairobi Noir, Cassava Republic Press, Abuja-London 2020Nairobi Noir is an edgy literary work with a big Kenyan heart that captures perfectly the current mood of a defiant nation on the cusp of radical social change. In her delicious debut “Have a Roti,” on Parklands, intrepid journalist Rasna Warah takes top prize for her fascinating portrayal of l960s Asian family life. Through her love interest, the Somali Raage, the author examines the serendipities of disrupted lives of refugees in Kenya and elsewhere. In her excellent offering entitled She Dug Two Graves, Winfred Kiunga on “Eastleigh” disrobes the multiple miseries facing Kenyan Somali women under Sharia law and patriarchal rule in extremis. Cliché-ridden and again populated with patronising men and hopelessly naive chicks, one wonders why the author’s characters never engage with any intelligent women, white or black.

Source: The Star April 11, 2020 00:56 UTC