What do you think?
Rate this book
306 pages, Hardcover
First published May 23, 2019
Katassi was unprepared for that disgusted gaze that questioned your humanity, for white people sleeping rough in London, for white beggars on the streets (how can they give us aid when their own people are begging?), for the rough area we lived in in Salford, for burglars, for the fact that she was going to be poorer in Britain than she had been at home."The Nod" (3,5 stars) is the story about a Ugandan woman who meets a mixed Black woman named Brenda at a party, but forgets to give her "the nod" because she thought that Brenda was white, due to her very light complexion. What follows is a very tense and awkward conversation between the two, as Brenda approaches the protagonist and makes her feel guilty for the oversight.
But here in Manchester, where God gave up a long time ago, grown-ups are out of control.Throughout the story, the reader is irritated at Luzinda's behaviour. Why does this boy behave like such a brat? What is his problem? Therefore, the reveal at the end is all the more shocking. Also, the relationship between Luzinda and Bakka, and how the two of them team up to protect their parents, was very sweet and touching.
Malik was at war with himself yet there was no room to say I know, or I understand. Or Let's talk about it. To think that she considered herself trapped. At least the door to her cell was open. Malik's was bolted from both inside and out.And even though Makumbi never openly reveals what Malik's "problem" is, the reader can deduce that he is homosexual and has to keep his lovers a secret for fear of being harassed from his community. It's a beautiful story as Katula has a lot of love and understanding for Malik (and also appreciates the security this sham marriage gives her), but also realises that she cannot live in this lie any longer, that it is suffocating her. However, like most women who feel trapped in a relationship, she doesn't have the courage to leave, and so each time, "when he returns, she told herself; it is over: I am done."
"Men climbing up and down hulls by means of ropes, men cleaning, men standing on suspended planks painting hulls, cranes loading, cranes offloading, ships departing, ships arriving. The way everyone rushed, the gods must have been stingy with time in England."