Sweeping in scope, both historically and geographically, Vassanji weaves a rich
tapestry of vivid characters (real and imagined) in a Kenya poised between colon
ialism and independence. Vikram Lall, like his adopted country, inhabits an 'in-
between world': between the pull of his ancestral home in India and the Kenya he
loves passionately; between his tragic past in Africa and an unclear future in
Canada; between escape from political terror and a seemingly inevitable return h
ome ...a return that may cost him dearly. A master storyteller, Vassanji intertw
ines the political and the personal - the rise of the Mau Mau in the last days o
f colonialism looms large over a plot centring on two love stories and a deep fr
iendship.
The result is a sumptuous novel that brilliantly explores the tyran
ny of history and memory, and questions the individual's role and responsibility
in lawless times.
