What’s the fastest way for a book to ascend to the top of my #tbr stack?
A signed copy.
This is exactly what happened when we hosted the author of House of Rust late last year. Even though the book had been out for some time, I had resisted reading it due to the mixed reviews.
Now, Khadija Bajaber didn’t just write this book; she practically salsa-danced her way through the pages, flamboyantly twirling words like the literary maestro that she is. I enjoy beautiful sentences and so for a long time, I was captivated by the beautiful, lyrical, and mystical writing. I enjoyed that the English was twirled and twisted to give it a dose of Mombasa flavor!
But let me warn you, buckle up for a hyper-descriptive rollercoaster ride, and if this is not our cuppa tea, then you will need to bear down. Bajaber paints scenes with such flowery language, that you’ll swear you can smell the ocean breeze and hear the crows gossiping.
Now, our protagonist Aisha is on a mission to rescue her father, lost at sea. Cue the dramatic music! She sets sail on an impossible expedition accompanied by a talking cat and against many a great odds (and many sea monsters) she succeeds in bringing her father back – practically from the dead. This dramatic expedition concludes somewhat midway through the book and the rest of the book is an exploration of the consequences of that decision.
While I had enjoyed the book up to that point because cheering on an underdog is always a great plot mover, the enjoyment ended there for me as the rest of the book seems to drag on from there devoid of adrenaline.
But hey, who would I recommend this rollercoaster of a book to? Well, if you’re itching for a Kenyan read that’s equal parts mysticism and out-of-this-world storytelling, and you fancy a little tour of Mombasa without leaving your couch, then hop on board! Just make sure to keep your arms and legs inside the pages at all times (you don’t want to be jicho’s meal, do you?).
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Book Musings: The House of Rust by Khadija Bajaber
A signed copy.
This is exactly what happened when we hosted the author of House of Rust late last year. Even though the book had been out for some time, I had resisted reading it due to the mixed reviews.
Now, Khadija Bajaber didn’t just write this book; she practically salsa-danced her way through the pages, flamboyantly twirling words like the literary maestro that she is. I enjoy beautiful sentences and so for a long time, I was captivated by the beautiful, lyrical, and mystical writing. I enjoyed that the English was twirled and twisted to give it a dose of Mombasa flavor!
But let me warn you, buckle up for a hyper-descriptive rollercoaster ride, and if this is not our cuppa tea, then you will need to bear down. Bajaber paints scenes with such flowery language, that you’ll swear you can smell the ocean breeze and hear the crows gossiping.
Now, our protagonist Aisha is on a mission to rescue her father, lost at sea. Cue the dramatic music! She sets sail on an impossible expedition accompanied by a talking cat and against many a great odds (and many sea monsters) she succeeds in bringing her father back – practically from the dead. This dramatic expedition concludes somewhat midway through the book and the rest of the book is an exploration of the consequences of that decision.
While I had enjoyed the book up to that point because cheering on an underdog is always a great plot mover, the enjoyment ended there for me as the rest of the book seems to drag on from there devoid of adrenaline.
But hey, who would I recommend this rollercoaster of a book to? Well, if you’re itching for a Kenyan read that’s equal parts mysticism and out-of-this-world storytelling, and you fancy a little tour of Mombasa without leaving your couch, then hop on board! Just make sure to keep your arms and legs inside the pages at all times (you don’t want to be jicho’s meal, do you?).
Related