For What Are Butterflies Without Their Wings by Troy Onyango 

“If you cover a ‘kalausi’ with a basin, you will find a snake underneath….if one suppressed something as strong as an emotion, they would end up with something venomous and spiteful” 

For What Are Butterflies Without Their Wings is a collection of 12 delectable short stories. It has a range of themes, like loneliness, grief, identity, rejection and sexuality. The overarching theme is loneliness, which Troy writes about in a way that it feels like a living, breathing thing. The characters are complex, multidimensional, vulnerable and deeply endearing.These stories make you question your own biases, if any. My own introspective realization is that I need to see and hear people even more than I think I do. 

 Reading this as a Kenyan is such a wonderful experience. The playful and familiar phrases sprinkled across the stories evoke a nostalgia that will subconsciously transport you to a specific time and place.  Readers who enjoy literary fiction and poetic/lyrical writing will have a great time reading this. Highly recommended! 

 About the Reviewer

Joan Mero is a literature and music enthusiast. She reviews books and curates bookish events for the reading community in Nairobi, Kenya.