Of Pawns and Players

This book is small but mightily captivating. Kinyanjui Kombani weaves mystery and love in this captivating story that is based in Nairobi. If you grew up in Kenya or have lived in Kenya for any amount of time, you would find the everyday characters so familiar. The story allows us to dip into the life of one mwananchi – Kinyanjui gives us a view into a mutura vendor’s life and the people around him who bring love, laughter and sometimes pain into his life. I really enjoyed this book, far more than I expected, and this led me to search for some of the author’s other books. 

Of Pawns and Players starts off with a bang, pulling you in immediately. The pace builds up gently to a crescendo that holds an unexpected surprise. Though the story tackles some serious themes and topics such as corruption, poverty and the desire by anyone to love and be loved, Kinyanjui manages to maintain a well-paced storytelling mode without any undertones of sadness. He allows you to get to know Thomas, the protagonist, and with each turning page, the layers are pulled back slowly. You might think you know the decisions that will be made by Thomas (seeing as you might think you know him because he seems familiar) or feel that you can predict the ending (happy endings only, right?) only to come to the close of the last chapter and just say ‘ayayaya’. 

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This review was submitted by Mercy Simiyu, a Kenyan storyteller and public health specialist living in Uganda. Her most recent work can be found on Lolwe, an online magazine that publishes fiction, literary criticisms, essays, photography and poetry. Read her work https://lolwe.org/do-you-remember/ and find her on Twitter @mkhanamkhana or mkhanaintransit.wordpress.com.