Peter Kimani’s much-anticipated book, Dance of the Jakaranda, is a historical novel that re-imagines the rise and fall of colonialism in Kenya at the turn of the last century. But this could well be a story of globalization—not just for its riveting multiracial, multicultural cast—but also due to its diverse literary allusions, from Chekhovian comedy to Kafkasque caricatures, or magical realism popularised by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 

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What people are saying…

“This funny, perceptive and ambitious work of historical fiction by a Kenyan poet and novelist explores his country’s colonial past and its legacy through the stories of three men involved with the building of a railroad linking Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean — what the Kikuyu called the ‘Iron Snake’ and the British called the ‘Lunatic Express.’”
New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice

“Kimani has done a game job managing the carpentry of this ambitious novel, bringing great skill to the task of deploying multiple story lines, huge leaps back and forth in time and the withholding and distribution of information . . . Once Kimani has his plotlines all set, his writing relaxes, and it’s here that you can see his raw talent . . . I grew up in Kenya, and I have never read a novel about my own country that’s so funny, so perceptive, so subversive and so sly.” —New York Times Book Review

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“A fascinating part of Kenya’s history, real and imagined, is revealed and reclaimed by one of its own.”

Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Dance of the Jakaranda, the new novel by Peter Kimani, is a layered and moving exploration of the history of Kenya, juxtaposing a story of conflict during the nation’s colonial period with a narrative set in its early days of independence. It’s a novel in which the central characters constantly surprise the readers, and Kimani’s explorations of history encompass multiple sides of art and infrastructure.” ~Vol. 1 Brooklyn

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“Destined to become one of the greats . . . This is not hyperbole: it’s a masterpiece.”
The Gazette

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“The author has built here not only, on these pages, not only a railroad, but the singular triumph of a highly diverting novel. Besides weaving an excellent plot-line, he offers the reader a classic, understated writing style that haunts much of this book, turns it into a minor masterpiece.”
RALPH Magazine, Starred review

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................“But the novel has way more strengths than I can describe here, including the beauty of lyrical narration that combines irony, flashback, humour, allusions and inter-textual references, all of which are expertly manipulated to give the reader a gem of a story populated by composite characters, a story that, though revisiting old themes and times, does so with the freshness that one would expect of established literary geniuses.” Daily Nation

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“A multi-racial nation-building tale that begins during the construction of the railway from Mombasa to Nairobi. There are three men at its heart: two white, a British administrator known as ‘Master’ and an Anglican minister; one brown, an Indian technician who sires a male child, a birth that will reverberate down through the years.” —Toronto Star

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“Dance of the Jakaranda is colorful and ironic . . . A fascinating story told in an unforgettable voice.”
The Guardian (Trinidad & Tobago)

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“In his American debut, Kimani illustrates the discordant history of East Indians in Kenya through a fabulously complicated set of intriguing characters and events . . . Highlighted by its exquisite voice, Kimani’s novel is a standout debut.”
Publishers Weekly

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“Peter Kimani, an acclaimed writer and poet, has brilliantly constructed this novel’s plot . . . [His] lyrical prose, such as portraying the train as ‘a massive snakelike creature,’ and his breathtaking descriptions of ‘God’s country’ bring the beauty of the land before our eyes.” —Historical Novels Review

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“A rich tableau of layers and textures . . . The book has some brilliant moments of vivid and evocative writing.”
Huffington Post

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"Through lyrical, seductive prose, Peter Kimani weaves an impressively intricate tapestry of events and characters that give much-needed names and faces to an important facet of Kenya’s colonial history.” —Black Book Quotes

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“A compelling story conveying a powerful social and cultural critique along with a marvelous portrait of the beauties and wonders of Kenya, all punctuated with tragedy.” —New York Journal of Books

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“I loved the storyteller’s voice and the gradual unravelling of the secrets of past generations, which had long shadows that reached into the present and affected the young couple at the heart of the story. The historical matter is deftly woven in.”—The Girdle of Melian

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“Kimani’s descriptive and inventive prose recounts personal stories of love and tragedy within a context of racial hierarchies and the fallout of colonial rule . . . Babu’s story feels weighted by history in a way that will remind readers of Gabriel García Márquez’s work . . . Kimani’s complex novel will leave readers questioning the meanings of citizenship and belonging during an era of significant social upheaval in Kenya’s history.”—Booklist      

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