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Dust
Dust | Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
10 posts | 6 read | 18 to read
From a breathtaking new voice, a novel about a splintered family in Kenyaa story of power and deceit, unrequited love, survival and sacrifice. Odidi Oganda, running for his life, is gunned down in the streets of Nairobi. His grief-stricken sister, Ajany, just returned from Brazil, and their father bring his body back to their crumbling home in the Kenyan drylands, seeking some comfort and peace. But the murder has stirred memories long left untouched and unleashed a series of unexpected events: Odidi and Ajanys mercurial mother flees in a fit of rage; a young Englishman arrives at the Ogandas house, seeking his missing father; a hardened policeman who has borne witness to unspeakable acts reopens a cold case; and an all-seeing Trader with a murky identity plots an overdue revenge. In scenes stretching from the violent upheaval of contemporary Kenya back through a shocking political assassination in 1969 and the Mau Mau uprisings against British colonial rule in the 1950s, we come to learn the secrets held by this parched landscape, buried deep within the shared past of the family and of a conflicted nation. Here is a spellbinding novel about a brother and sister who have lost their way; about how myths come to pass, history is written, and war stains us forever.
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Lindy
Dust | Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
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Owuor‘s fragmentary, poetic style shifted my brain into a different gear, not quite like anything I'd experienced before. The effect was visceral. All of my senses engaged. In Dust, desire is coupled with savagery; it's insatiable. Private sorrows entwine with a larger grief for the nation of Kenya. The narrative rambles back & forth through time; the threads come together with breathtaking assurance. Violence is countered with humanity & hope.

Lindy The review above is much abbreviated from the one I posted on my blog in 2014. If you are interested in reading it in full: https://lindypratch.blogspot.com/2014/07/dust-by-yvonne-adhiambo-owuor.html?m=1 5y
Come-read-with-me @Lindy Great review! Thanks for sharing. 💗 5y
Lindy @Come-read-with-me ☺️ Thanks! 5y
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alisonrose
Dust | Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
Pickpick

The writing is truly stunning—poetic w/o feeling overdone, direct & harsh at times when called for. I know some ppl couldn‘t deal w/the fragmented style, but I liked it. The author writes searingly about grief & losing & finding one‘s place in a turbulent world. Ajany in particular really got me, I felt such empathy for her. I do admit I was fairly lost at times as to what exactly was happening/being discussed. But still a worthwhile read. 3/5 ⭐️

suzisteffen Oh my goodness, I had to take this back to the library unread at the end of March. Thanks to you, I will plan to try again in May! 5y
alisonrose @suzisteffen it definitely requires some effort to read, but I do think it‘s worth it! 5y
suzisteffen @alisonrose Awesome. Not worried about challenging reads - I like them. Thanks!! 5y
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alisonrose
Dust | Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
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alisonrose
Dust | Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

“We are bees. We touch two million scattered moments, reaping the small nectar of things.”

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alisonrose
Dust | Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

All departures are layered. Hers was accompanied by fingers of silence on the lips of at least ninety ghosts.

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alisonrose
Dust | Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

The fog—amalgam of mistlike griefs, and fear—the state of being haunted, possessed by unrelenting uncertainties.

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alisonrose
Dust | Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
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I have a feeling this is either going to be amazing or I‘ll end up DNFing because of the writing style. Let‘s find out! #nowreading

39 likes1 comment
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Tove_Reads
Dust | Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
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So I opted to stay in instead of going out. Because books.

MommyWantsToReadHerBook Let us know if it's a good book, looks like it! 6y
DrJAdMerricksson Books are always a good choice 😄 6y
33 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
Tove_Reads
Dust | Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
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My mule just brought me these!! 😍 My #readingtheworld #readtheworld challenge would not be possible without my friends. #marshallislands #kenya

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