The Havoc of Choice

The Havoc of Choice is multi-layered story ostensibly about a seemingly normal upper-middle class family living in leafy suburb of Nairobi. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that this is not the case and rather it’s a story of silent pain, family disfunction, selfishness, anguish and a fight for one’s independence. This description sounds dramatic, but the writer manages to make you feel all these emotions along with some sweetness and anger as you mull over which characters in the book to like or detest. The story weaves in and out of more than just the nuclear family itself, extending to their workers and the wider extended family and how each of them impacts the other.  

The main character in the book, is the daughter of a politician, and the story begins from her perspective, but it shifts to those of other members of the family and their household employees as it progresses. The election is a central part of the book, and while painful to read in places, it manages to convey the facts in a way that even if you actually lived through this period in Kenya, you may not have necessarily experienced first-hand.  

I was overwhelmed at the many emotions this book evoked in me. From shock, to disbelief, to sadness, laughter and everything in between. It was a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end especially since you really couldn’t even see what was coming around the corner. The PEV part of the book also helped me to recall this period with sobriety and really question how my own choices too, have consequences, sometimes far more wide-reaching than I may imagine. 

The name of the book is apt as on one level, it a story about the consequences of the choices that we make as well as how the choices and actions of our leaders can change the trajectory of multitudes of people forever. At a basic level we all know this, but the book gives life to PEV statistics and makes you empathize with the plight of the common man in a very real way. For me personally, it made me question the impact that I have on others. Even those of us who feel insignificant in the grander scheme of things, recognise from the events in the book that all of us can be a force for good or evil. 

Every Kenyan adult needs to read this book. This is part of our history as a nation that must be kept alive and must not be wished away. Even for those who feel queasy about these kinds of topic, the writer’s talent allows you to get drawn into a beautifully written narrative, that happens to also details the events of PEV in a way that should make everyone who reads it determined that this should never happen in our nation again.  

By the end of the book, I wanted this story, (in an age-appropriate way), to be included as a set book in every High School in Kenya. It reinforced for me the power of storytelling, and its role in building the history of a nation. Wanjiru Koinange has in this breath-taking tale, ensured that the events of PEV will never be forgotten and I hope with that, also a resolve by every Kenyan that those atrocities shall never be repeated.  

Iminza Kaisha-Waithaka is an Investment Banker. She is married and she is also a mother. She is passionate about all things books. She has recently taken up gardening and enjoys nothing better than an awesome book read outdoors! The Havoc of Choice remains one of her favourite reads.