“There was something about how the raindrops kissed the earth, violently, like a jilted lover, forcefully seeking reunion.”

Genre: African Literature, Fiction

Pages: 135

Rate: 3⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Bahati Books

Published: 15th September, 2018.

Synopsis

A Season For Mending is a short story collection that explores the endurance of the human spirit and the light and dark sides of human behavior. They include a story of an old man in a matatu who has escaped a house for the elderly, the customer turned into a conman, the baby at the door step of Patel’s flour mills company, the father who kidnaps his own children, amongst others.

The stories are set in Nairobi and revolve around the day to day challenges, hopes and dreams of people of living in the city. From the streets of Nairobi, to the chilling waters of river Chania, this book will take you on a journey that will drift you through life. It is guaranteed to take you gliding through the wheels of time not knowing where you might wind up.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher for review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My Take
I didn’t enjoy A Season For Mending as I thought I would. I was really drawn by the cover so in my head I had this idea of what to expect and I think that set me up for failure. A Season For Mending is a collection of 14 short stories and just like my last review I am going to rank them in order of my favorite to my least favorite and why I liked, or didn’t like, the story.

  • Pawned

For a moment I forgot I was reading a short story and was so engrossed in the piece I wanted to cry when I got to the last sentence. This deserves a full book I tell you.

  • Chasing the Elusive Dream

This story depicts so much of how most people live their lives here in Nairobi and it mirrored so much their habits and behavior. It was a tad bit scary how true it is.

  • Because Memories Have Wings

A sad depressive story that really hooks you.

  • The Escape

The escape sounds so dramatic, I say it’s more of a journey home because that is what it focuses on. It was a lovely piece in that it wasn’t exaggerated and I related quite a bit.

  • Monday Blues

Thi explains the saying ‘when it rains, it pours’ perfect. A gullible lady who ends up conned in her daily trade after she had such a rough morning. If you don’t laugh, you’ll be appalled.

  • Trapped

I struggled with understanding the stream of consciousness so I was confused all through.

  • A Season For Mending

A meddling mother in law and a man who can’t think for himself. I was bored all through.

  • Miracle baby

Too much drama.

  • A perfect Send Off

I felt like it was too rushed and I didn’t enjoy it.

  • The Woman My father married

There are two different plots here and they don’t intertwine and I felt like I was reading two separate books.

  • The Rocking Chair

The story and the title don’t relate, like there is no rocking chair and that pissed me off than I could imagine.

  • The Foreign Bird

It was so exaggerated and unrealistic that I kept on scoffing all through.

  • At a Crossroad

I honestly can’t remember what this story was about.

  • The Hair Question

I don’t remember much about this book either.

“Men are like the waves of the ocean, they come and go.”

A Season For Mending is a debut novel by Margaret Muthee and in as much as this book wasn’t my cup of tea I would read more of her works in the future because her writing shows so much promise.