Twelve year old Kirabo lives in a village in Uganda with her grandparents and extended village family. She has never known her mother but her father visits from Kampala when he can. Life in the village is very much structured around tradition and the law of the clans. Women know their place and girls who want to pursue an education are informed that their prospects of getting a husband will be limited. In this patriarchal world, however, there are members of her family who encourage Kirabo to continue her education.
A theme of the book is mwenkanonkano or feminism in a patriarchal society and the book describes Kirabo's quest to establish her role as an individual, able to make her own decisions on her own terms. Part of understanding Ugandian society is via learning and understanding many of the stories that form the culture. Nsuuta tells her the story of early times when the first man came from the land and the first woman from the sea. Women therefore cannot inherit land or make decisions regarding land. Only men can do this.
Kirabo also wants to know who her mother is and this quest reveals a number of family secrets as well as providing her with a better understanding of the relationship between her grandfather, grandmother and Nsuuta, a longtime friend of her grandmother and a confidante to Kirabo. Most of the novel is set in the 1970s however there is one section where the story of the relationship between Kirabo's grandmother and Nsuuta is explained.
There is also political danger to be faced by the villagers during an insurrection against the regime of Idi Amin (president of Uganda in the 1970s).
This is a beautifully written book about a young girl looking to establish a role for herself in a confusing and structured world.
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