BOOKS OF THE YEAR
BOOK OF THE DAY
The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi review – coming of age in Uganda
A girl longs for her absent mother in this frank, witty tale about power and gender roles from the author of Kintu
Alex Clark
Friday 30 October 2020
K
irabo is an inquisitive child. She has even more unanswered questions than other girls in the run-up to puberty, the greatest and most mysterious of which is: “Who is my mother?” In the small Ugandan village of Nattetta, nobody seems to want to tell her, least of all the grandparents who have loved and protected her throughout her life; fleeting visits from her father, Tom, who is busy making his mark in Kampala, yield no further insight. So Kirabo, already unsettled by her ability to depart her body and soar above her neighbourhood, decides to consult the village witch, Nsuuta.