The People of Ostrich Mountain

Paperback, 366 pages

Published May 13, 2020 by Bon Esprit Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-7350417-0-4

(1 review)

As the 1950s Mau Mau war breaks out in the foothills of Mt. Kenya, Wambũi, a fourteen-year-old girl leaves her besieged village to join a prestigious boarding school a half day’s journey away by train. There, she becomes aware of her extraordinary mathematical abilities discovered by her teacher, Eileen Atwood. Initially, Wambũi views Eileen’s attentions with suspicion and hostility, but over time, the two grow close and form a lifelong friendship. Unfortunately for Wambũi, the mid-twentieth century isn’t ready for a female math prodigy, particularly in Kenya. But she quietly and defiantly takes on the obstacles seeking to define her, applying her unusual gifts in new directions, which ultimately benefits her impoverished family and inspires her siblings and their children to pursue their own dreams. After forty years in Kenya, Eileen unexpectedly loses her employment authorization and is forced to return to England, where she struggles to adjust to living …

As the 1950s Mau Mau war breaks out in the foothills of Mt. Kenya, Wambũi, a fourteen-year-old girl leaves her besieged village to join a prestigious boarding school a half day’s journey away by train. There, she becomes aware of her extraordinary mathematical abilities discovered by her teacher, Eileen Atwood. Initially, Wambũi views Eileen’s attentions with suspicion and hostility, but over time, the two grow close and form a lifelong friendship. Unfortunately for Wambũi, the mid-twentieth century isn’t ready for a female math prodigy, particularly in Kenya. But she quietly and defiantly takes on the obstacles seeking to define her, applying her unusual gifts in new directions, which ultimately benefits her impoverished family and inspires her siblings and their children to pursue their own dreams. After forty years in Kenya, Eileen unexpectedly loses her employment authorization and is forced to return to England, where she struggles to adjust to living in a country she barely recognizes. Meanwhile, Wambũi’s son, Ray, a doctor, navigates a fraught visa application process and travels to America to begin residency training; however, his hospital becomes insolvent and shuts down a year later. He and his colleagues are assimilated into other programs where, as foreign-born physicians, they endure relentless prejudice. As a black man, he also discovers that the streets of Chicago are sometimes quick to judge, with serious consequences. A saga of family and friendship spanning five decades and three continents, 'The People of Ostrich Mountain' chronicles the interconnected lives of three outsiders as they navigate the vagaries of race, gender and immigration.

1 edition

Stephanie Jane reviewed The People of Ostrich Mountain by Ndirangu Githaiga

Two novels in one book

3 stars

The People Of Ostrich Mountain starts out as an interesting and inspiring historical fiction novel. I listened to the audiobook edition and while I did get some amusement from the narrator's early allegedly-Scottish accent rolling around most of the Celtic nations, I thought his narration overall was well done. I liked this story's central character, Wambũi, and the way in which Ndirangu Githaiga depicts both her family life and the differences she encounters in an esteemed boarding school far from her home. Wambũi is a maths genius, but is also a pragmatic girl with a strong, quiet determination. I loved how she manages to find the best life for herself despite this not necessarily being what other people had hoped for her.

I was, however, surprised by the abrupt way in which Wambũi's story was dropped in favour of following her son, Raymond, and his attempts to qualify as a …

The People Of Ostrich Mountain starts out as an interesting and inspiring historical fiction novel. I listened to the audiobook edition and while I did get some amusement from the narrator's early allegedly-Scottish accent rolling around most of the Celtic nations, I thought his narration overall was well done. I liked this story's central character, Wambũi, and the way in which Ndirangu Githaiga depicts both her family life and the differences she encounters in an esteemed boarding school far from her home. Wambũi is a maths genius, but is also a pragmatic girl with a strong, quiet determination. I loved how she manages to find the best life for herself despite this not necessarily being what other people had hoped for her.

I was, however, surprised by the abrupt way in which Wambũi's story was dropped in favour of following her son, Raymond, and his attempts to qualify as a doctor in America. I felt as though the novel began to lose its direction at this point. I would have preferred to stay with Wambũi as I thought her narrative was the stronger of the two and I had invested time in getting to know her. Suddenly there was a new set of strangers with whom I felt no connection. Githaiga also does tend to drop too much at once in the way of background information for each newly introduced character. I had not found this to be as much of a problem in the first section of the novel though as it became now. There are also long scenes of unnecessary medical terminology and detail which slow the story down even more. I understand that Githaiga himself is a doctor and, while his expertise certainly shows through in those chapters, I didn't think the change in style fitted well within the novel, so much so that it was a relief to eventually get back to Wambũi despite having missed out on years of her life.

Overall I thought that The People Of Ostrich Mountain was actually two distinct stories which, other than the family relationship between their central characters, didn't really connect too well. I wondered if this single book might have worked more successfully as two separate novels. Some parts I really enjoyed whereas as others didn't work so well for me.