Jagero Oduor is the writer behind the novel True Lies, a story set in the dramatic public transport system that Kenyans have to navigate through on a daily basis. He has been getting rave reviews from readers in Nairobi, Kisumu and Kampala and other cities where has launched.
Ten years ago he ventured into Rwanda and stayed there for a year researching what was supposed to be his debut novel. He travelled a country that was then still wounded touring her ghostly churches turned into museums, the villages and her people.
The novel he started working on a decade ago is now ready and is called Ghosts of 1894. In a WORLD EXCLUSIVE, we here at JamesMurua.com are happy to the first to show a bit this book.
Here is the excerpt:
Chapter 2
DARK CLOUD
…..He sank to his knees and began crawling towards the house.
He stood at the door facing the now eerie living room. The imposing wall unit gleamed with wine glasses, cups and tumblers. His eyes fell on the Santorin glass bowl on the table; it didn’t look as beautiful anymore. The ‘WELCOME’ plaque on the wall seemed now to convey a new meaning.
The leather couch was no longer inviting; Habineza didn’t sit. Instead he paced around the expanse of the room. He had learnt the art of procrastination; sometimes it paid off, while at other times it was a fool’s idea. He longed for a sound: a sneeze, a rat, the rustling of papers, scurrying cockroaches – even the fall of a pin.
Gathering the courage of a desperate father, he yanked the bedroom door open. He was wading through mud, or at least that’s what it felt like. Pieces of glass were everywhere. Clothes and sheets were strewn across the room.
“Oh my God,” he thought to himself.
Then the coppery smell hit his nose.
He saw a hand; it was longer than Nshuti’s or Akamanzi’s hands, and protruded from under a gray sheet. Habineza’s heart sank. Kneeling down, he reached out and touched the hand; it was cold and lifeless, and appeared to be covered in mud.
He studied the nails; they were polished ivory white. The fingers looked familiar. He threw the sheet away to reveal her face, and then dropped the sheet in shock.
It wasn’t mud on her hands…
End of excerpt.
His new book is ready and will be in book stores very soon.
Yes, we’ll keep you posted.
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