The first month of September has been an exceptional week for outstanding books about the experiences of African women. Add this book to the list. It’s a coming of age story with a twist. Kirabo has experienced love being raised by her grandparents in Uganda, but she craves more. Her mother abandoned her. Her father will pay for her education so she moves to Kampala, away from the rural village life she has known. Here she meets a variety of women. Some with no power like her stepmother. She finds, in this story set in the 1970s, independent women like her aunt. It is a story for readers who have enjoyed books by Isabelle Allende, Yaa Gyasi, or Julia Alvarez. Mkumbi, a UK writer knows how to pull readers into her stories.

A coming-of-age story you never knew you needed until you’ve read A Girl Is A Body of Water!

I don’t know where to start, but this book is a powerful story-telling epic saga of young Kirabo who is coming of age, and her sweeping journey of life from the 1960s through the 1980s. This book explores observations of every aspect of what being a woman is all about: feminism, womanhood, motherhood, gender roles, family, love and more.

Kirabo is a young Ugandian girl who begins to question herself and her background as she reaches her twelfth birthday. Raised by her father’s family, she’s never known who her real mother is, or where she is, or if she’s even alive. As she searches for answers, she meets with Nsuuta, a woman who has been called ‘evil witch’ by others in the community, and has to learn/grapple with what is being a woman all about, and how she can navigate her life as a woman on her own terms.

Kirabo’s world and her experiences in Uganda, are more than she realizes. She wants the love and respect of her grandparents, she wants to know her absent/lost mother, she wants love from her father, she wants respect from her friends, she wants love from a young man, she wants success in life, she wants to be her own woman, and she wants independence/choices/options from the patriarchal culture she’s been born into.


There is just so much here:
- Sexuality/Chasity (stigma of women having premarital sex)
- Religion
- Patriarchal society limits/restrictions/ideas
- Culture
- Identity
- Gender roles
- Motherhood
- Womanhood
- Feminism
- Education
- Beauty
- Classism
- Colorism
- Marriage

Her relationships between her grandmother, Nsuuta, her Aunt Abi and others help to shape and mold Kirabo into the woman she is becoming. She has to grapple with loss, death, and forgiveness concerning the people in her life, and how that challenges her ideas, expectations, and her journey in her own womanhood. However, beyond culture and religion, there is a universal message here that transcends culture; our self-discovery journey of being a woman are met with all types of complexities that there is confusion and doubt and a not-so-straight path to what being a woman is all about.

“…we are our circumstances. And until we have experienced all the circumstances the world can throw at us, seen all the versions we can be, we cannot claim to know ourselves. How, then, do we start to know someone else?”

“Nothing takes the sting out of a woman like marriage. And when children arrive, the window closes. Wife, mother, age, and role model - the ‘respect’ that comes with these roles is the water they pour on your fire.”

Mukumbi’s writing is just magnificent! Her rich story-telling encapsulates your whole being, and transports you right into what the world in which she has created. You are surrounded on all sides by the characters, the dichotomies, the complexities, the experiences of all that you are not left wondering and completely infatuated with her writing abilities.

I would consider this book a MUST READ. It is so important for young women to understand who they are in the world, and how to navigate various situations in life for themselves. Although your ancestors and elders can provide you with guidance, it is important for women to learn who they are apart from what any relationship can give them and what is important for them to feel whole. This book is more than just about Kirabo, but a message to women as a whole. The author is telling of a patriarchal society in which women exist but have been treated less than a man, where women feud with others because of societal pressures placed on them, how beauty can somewhat dictate a woman’s trajectory in life, how marriage, motherhood, and life as a woman can be oppressive at times. Women always seem to have to choose between having a life of their own or be doused by the limitations put on them to be a wife and mother.

Regardless, the author emphasizes the importance of being able to share our stories.

“Stories are critical…” “The minute we fall silent, someone will fill the silence for us.”

Overall, this book is a 4.5, rounded up to a 5. Must read!

Thank you to Tin House and Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi for providing me with this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. Full review can found in link in bio.

A Girl is a Body of Water is rich with myths, stories, family, society, and the roles, relationships, views, depictions, and strength of women. Set in Uganda in the era of Idi Amin, we follow the story of Kirabo and her coming of age....her search for her mother and her discovery of herself. I fell in love with the myths and the power of storytelling. Stories that "justified dominion" and the continued telling of those stories drove the depiction and role of women in society. One of the most telling is the story that men came from the land, and women from the ocean. So that women did not belong to the land, and were "migrants", which gave men power over them and in a patriarchal society, ownership over them. Kirabo still has the "original state" in her, the way women were in the beginning (versus now, after society overpowers women, because of fear, now women are in a "shrunken state"). One of her "grandmothers" highlights this fact and hopes that she nurtures this original state and not allow men or society to squash it. The book portrays beautiful examples of women supporting women as well as examples of women being each other's own worst enemies. There is a beauty to this culture and when at its finest, demonstrates how a village raises a child. Beautifully written, wonderful to explore. Give it a read.

"...women were two things at once - aquatic and terrestrial. Human but fish, beautiful but grotesque, exciting but frightening, nurturing but malevolent."

Kirabo is a girl without a mother, living with her well-respected Grandmother and Grandfather in the Nattetta village of Uganda. Her grandparents shower her with love. And her father, Tom, who comes from the city every once in a while to visit, also gives her love. But love from these figures is not enough to quell the curiosity that Kirabo has - who was her mother? It's important to find her mother in part because Kirabo is struggling with having two halves of her oneself: her good half and her bad half. Her bad half can float away from her body and fly around the village. Her bad half is masculine, acts like a boy, climbs trees, and forgets to cross her leg. In search of her mother, Kirabo consults the local witch, Nsuuta.

Nsuuta is feminist and important. Though Nsuuta is blind, she sees more than Kirabo can. When Kirabo askes for help (find my mother and help me remain one), Nsuuta obliges but with conditions. Nsuuta will look for Kirabo's mother, but Kirabo is not to go looking for her mother until Nsuuta is sure that Kirabo's mother is ready. And Nsuuta can get rid of Kirabo's "bad half," but she also must first listen to the history of women's original state. As Nsuuta insists, Kirabo's bad half is good. It means that Kirabo still has the original state of women in her. Women used to be powerful, strong, rebellious, and free until men revoked this original state of women, calling women of the sea to insinuate she is not fit for land. From there the story continues.

This is a great book, once I got into it. The book moves slowly at first, which is not bad (we must resist modern Western literature cadences) but did make it hard for me to commit at first. I fear that other readers will think the same. However, if a reader can commit, this is a really gorgeous story about what it means to resist as an African woman and what it means to search for a mother. I love the conversation about the original state of women, from an African woman (written by an African author). It's important to hear that nothing about women's oppressed state is natural, even if it is from a fiction book. Nsuuta was my favorite character. I felt that she was the most colorful, the most full character though she relatively did not take up that much space in the book. I also loved Kirabo's grandfather, who was a great example of a healthy relationship between an African man and a female relative. The way he consoles Kirabo (though funny enough he doesn't extend that to other female relatives) when she is distraught about her mother or wetting the bed was touching. My full review will be up on my book Instagram @interestedinblackbooks and Goodreads sometime this week. I will then add the links.

Thanks for allowing me to have an advanced copy of this book.

Beautiful cover. Emotional. Timely. This is a book that everyone should read. Absolutely loved it.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Tin House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Essentially a coming of age story, A Girl is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi is a brilliant literary work. Set in Uganda in the 1970s, a young girl wants to know who her mother is.

Kirabo has been raised by many women—her grandmother, her best friend, and her many aunts—but the absence of her mother eclipses her. Looking for answers, she begins spending afternoons with Nsuuta, a local witch. Kirabo learns of the force brimming inside her and that the woman who gave birth to her is alive, but not ready to meet. Nsuuta also explains to Kirabo that she flies out of her body because she has a streak of the “first woman” in her. This is an independent, original state that has been all but lost to women.

Blended with folklore, this unforgettable novel explores family, feminism, and history.

Makumbi is a gorgeous writer with her vivid descriptions and lyrical prose. After a slow start, readers are taken on a beautiful journey through Kirabo's adolescence. There is an unnecessarily large cast of characters that bog down the first part of the book. However, Kirabo and Nsuuta, are well-developed, distinct, and memorable.

Feminism is the central theme of the story, one that is also rich in Ugandan culture and folklore. Makumbi also explores other challenges—gender, class, race—that women faced in 1970's Uganda. Unfortunately many of these issues are still prevalent today.

A Girl is a Body of Water is a sweeping novel that should be savoured. Congratulations, Jennifer, on this wonderful book.

** Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! **

A Girl Is a Body of Water is an ownvoices, coming of age story about a young Ugandan girl named Kirabo living in a patriarchal society. As a young girl, Kirabo believes herself to be a witch due to her rebellious nature when she finds herself repressed or ridiculed due to her sex and gender. Therefore, Kirabo seeks advice from the local resident witch. Throughout this story, we learn about how girls and women have been silenced in this society (not quite unlike our own, historically). We see how Kirabo struggles with the way that this patriarchal society in continuously attempts to oppress her and other women as she becomes of age.

A Girl Is a Body of Water is a well written novel that takes an interesting approach to discussing sexism, the patriarchy, and even colorism. It discusses the irrational reasonings men have used to justify their treatment of women, but even more interestingly it demonstrates the ways in which women have taken part in the suppression of other women by upholding sexist ideals. For me, this was one of the most impactful aspects of this story that I believe is not discussed enough within the topic of sexism. Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi discusses it perfectly and with ease, making it my favorite subject of the novel.

My only complaint about this novel, and why I am rating it four stars as opposed to five, is that I had a hard time staying engaged with this novel as there were moments that felt a bit dull to read. This novel was also not entirely represented by the description; therefore, my expectations did not match the progression of the story line (as the afternoons Kirabo spent with the local witch were not a majority of the story).

Despite those few complaints, I highly recommend this piece of literature to anyone that wants to read a fictional story with an interesting take on very real topics. A Girl Is a Body of Water is a well written novel that I could easily imagine as a classic being taught in schools within years time.

This is my first book by this author so I went in not knowing what to expect style-wise, but knowing I very much was interested in the coming-of-age Ugandan historical fiction premise of Kirabo, a young, motherless girl trying to understand her identity as a woman and why she feels the need to minimize the uncontrollable parts of her spirit, as she moves from girlhood to young womanhood.

I was a little torn on how to rate this novel because the style of storytelling is not necessarily my preference but the thesis it presents and provides evidence for over and over again, is so strong and artistically-presented, so real and relatable to me as an African woman that I have to rate it highly. There is somewhat of a non-fiction vibe to this even though this book is strongly character-based with a focus on how the characters interact with womanhood and cultural femininity. The non-fiction vibe is further emphasized by the fact that the plot isn’t the strongest and the story is mostly told through an editorial writing style in which the main characters analyze things that happen to them through a gender lens. This analysis of how we as women have come to the position we are in where we face discrimination, subjugation and are positioned as less than socioculturally is the strength and main thrust of this novel. I don’t feel like the story would stand on its own and hold itself up without the countless hypotheses on why women are feared, why women are discriminated against, why men think they own women, why women allow themselves to be owned, why women attack each other sometimes etc etc. It’s a book about power dynamics and how the power of women over time, has been taken away or lost from what the first woman had.

Thesis-wise and realness wise, this is a 5-star book for me. The ideas whilst not always especially novel, are well curated from (African) tradition and creatively presented through the characters. The language and the writing is beyond stellar- the way the author expresses her ideas through the characters had me highlighting entire pages because you can tell the craftsmanship of every phrase. This was not effortlessly written. You can feel the sweat of the author writing her socks off and wanting to get each turn of phrase exactly right, and absolutely deserving every accolade this is going to get! This felt like the experience you get reading an article or a memoir that has you nodding and beating your drum in agreement.

But story-wise, this wasn’t so great for me. It is not that the story(ies) weren’t interesting, strong or relatable. They absolutely were. Or at least, the characters were. They were viscerally real to me and my cultural experience, and that is why in the presentation of the book, I don’t feel the stories didn’t live up to their full potential. The thesis elements of the book came out stronger than the characters. It didn’t feel like a book about specific characters and people to me but a book about society and its issues. It’s not really a book about Kirabo’s coming of age, but a book about how woman and society interact. Kirabo, Alikisa and Nsuuta felt like devices to make a point and Miiro and Tom just felt like they were there to fill the role as male allies. To me, feeling like I knew these characters, and also feeling like I could see their rich story potential, it felt a little like a disservice to them. It didn’t feel like these characters owned the stories, rather the author’s voice and agenda (both of which WERE fantastic) felt very front and center and louder than the characters. I never felt fully immersed in the story but rather immersed in the author’s ideas and thoughts. It felt very deliberately all about the quotable moment, the strategic communication opportunity, the message, the perfect turn of phrase rather than the storytelling and the characters, which sometimes felt a little secondary. In every event, never a teaching moment was left to go abegging. I agree that much of life and our daily experiences are gendered and I feel like this author wanted to present that within almost every single plot event in the book- and for me, it felt a little repetitive at times. For me, I wish a little more trust had been placed in the story to convey what was necessary and in me as a reader to deduce and form my own opinions from the events without as much spoon-feeding. Clearly, this immensely-talented author expressed said opinions in writing far better than I could have in my dreams, but it felt like nothing was left to deduction, nothing was left to interpretation- at every moment, it felt like as a reader, I wasn’t trusted to know what to think or what to feel or to get the moral of the story. This made it feel a little slow and meandering at times when every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed so deliberately.

This book discusses ideas around society and the issue of discrimination and fear of equality and of women and of ownership and oppression very succinctly. Because there’s so much message and thematic content in this, I would almost recommend approaching this almost like a series of essays or experiences with an interesting plot otherwise it feels a little like you’re being bombarded with “messages” at every turn (unless of course that’s what you like). But at the same time, the characters are compelling and you do want to know how they end up even if you are frequently pushed out of the plot into beautifully-written cultural perspectives on feminism that ALLL deserve to be quoted a million times because of the lyricism and bone deep truth in their expression.

Personal taste foibles notwithstanding, I consider this essential reading! The kind that should make it into schools so girls everywhere can digest this and begin to understand their power and individuals but also as a unit and a sisterhood and boys men can understand the importance of being allies and where their power comes from. I think this is a really important book for anyone who considers themselves a feminist but especially for African feminism which is rarely centered in global dialogue. It is radical in its way, but also very culturally competent as it layers feminism into the culture and traditions in Uganda (but really in a way that would be appropriate in my own country across the continent). It proposes an origin story for women to understand how we came to be where we are positioned now in society in terms of status and discrimination. I love that it features different sorts of women as feminists and as “original” women even those that seem like haters saboteurs. A feminist in this author’s book is a woman happily in a polygamous relationship, an oppressive African Aunty, a deadbeat mom, a boy with ain’t ish behavior willing to listen and learn, a woman who is called a ho but doesn’t base her value on the existence of her virginity, a man who believes girls can be anything in a time when nobody else does, a bad friend, a good friend... Because really anyone can be a feminist and anyone can change and return to their “original” state where the chains of shame and oppression aren’t tying us down so we can’t soar.

For me, I rate this book highly because it’s a book that is beyond “liking” the story. It is doing the important work of breaking down African feminism in historical fiction (!) through the lens of a Ugandan girl’s coming of age story! I was emotionally exhausted and triggered by the book in the best sense. As an African woman, I felt seen and heard and like things that I knew and thought or hadn’t even considered were plucked from my consciousness and expressed in the most beautiful way. I think for a historical novel, themes of colourism, beauty, classism, ownership, slavery, autonomy, marriage, family expectation, inheritance, polygamy, infidelity, sexual exploration, confidence- anything that is part of the lived experience of African women was touched upon. The author used this platform to the max, missing no opportunity to call for the freedom and autonomy and liberation of African women. Did I want more story? Yes, because that’s the kind of reader I am. But was I disappointed in this book? NO, I think this book accomplished what the author set out to achieve with it. I can only recommend this in the highest and most vocal terms as an essential read for the ages. THIS is the African feminist novel we’ve needed forever!

I received a conplimentary copy of this book from Tin House through NetGalley.

A Girl is a Body of Water was such a beautiful tangled family history. The coming together and weaving of narrative and storyline were brilliant. As a reader, you get to experience Uganda during the 1970s and see Kirabo's coming of age story. Experiencing life through Birabo's eyes and see what it's like growing up a very strict patriarchal society where women have little freedom in most spaces. It was a slow-moving plot but Kirabo was an excellent main character. I did get a bit confused about who the other characters were at the time because I didn't realize there was a character guide in the back of the book until I had finished. The climax and opening ending with me with a gaping need for closure but it was a beautiful ending.

This was my first read by this author, and I must admit that she is now an auto buy author for me! The crisp and evocative descriptions, the commanding insight into Kirabo’s mind and her place in her family, the love and shame of a large family; Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi has the extraordinary gift of putting her story directly into the mind’s eye, rivaled only by the talents of Kirabo herself. This book is beautiful, sweeping, and haunting: I will remember Kirabo and her journey for years to come.

A powerful combination of the archetypal coming of age narrative and culture-specific language and traditions. The pacing is exquisite; the characters and their relationships are nuanced and believable. Makumbi is a skilled storyteller who celebrates womanhood in all of its stages. A fantastic read.

Thank you to Tin House Books and NetGalley for N Advance Release Copy in exchange for an honest review.

A GIRL IS A BODY OF WATER is a breathtaking novel about Kirabo and her discovery of herself, her history, and the complexities of people and our communities. The prose is beautiful, the characters come almost hauntingly vividly to life, and the messages about our bodies, trusting and confiding in and working with fellow women, connecting ourselves to our complex histories, and learning about ourselves and our families enough to know we have the power to envision our own futures. It doesn't mean there aren't forces working against us, forces of oppression that marginalize and disenfranchise us, but it does mean that Kirabo is able to find it in herself, with the help of her community, to quietly subvert the power structures holding her and so many other girls down.

The first probably half of the book was a little less action-packed for me, but it also simultaneously did some important world-building, introduced us to many layers of the characters, and allowed me to really get a good understanding of the context of the book. And then the second half happened, I couldn't put down the book, and suddenly it was basically the middle of the night! I love it when that happens.

Congratulations to Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi for this stunning novel and thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting novel on polygamous marriage and African society. This novel covers rural versus city life, class differences, and familial issues. Enlightening and entertaining.

This beautiful, introspective coming of age story set in 1970s Uganda introduces us to Kirabo a feisty, smart 12-year-old with a lot of questions about herself and the patriarchal system she was raised in.

What struck me most about “A Girl is a Body of Water” was it’s commentary on women. Often Kirabo finds herself at odds with some of the people closest to her and it often happens that women are almost meaner to each other than men.

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi uses this to brilliantly weave together two story lines that show us the power of trusting other women and building each other up, instead of tearing down.

While the first half of the book was a bit slow for me, you meet a lot of people and learn about their relationships...the last 200 were a whirlwind and I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tin House for this eARC and the opportunity to provide this review.

In this sweeping saga, a young girl growing up in 1970s Uganda struggles to find her mother and to be a modern girl in a restrictive and patriarchal society.

Kirabo, a young Ugandan girl, begins to question herself as she reaches her twelfth birthday. Raised by the women in her village, she's never known her mother but becomes fixated on who she was. Searching for answers, she begins to meet with Nsuuta, a woman thought to be a witch by the others in the village, and Kirabo learns more about what it means to be a woman in different contexts.

This book was an experience, a poignant, introspective collection of observations about coming of age, family, womanhood, femininity, and gender roles. Kirabo's voice was endearing, and my favorite moments were when she reflected on the advice other women give her. Seeing her work through her confusion to draw her own conclusions, and having those conclusions further questioned with the more experience she gains, was a gripping construct.

The most striking aspect of A Girl Is a Body of Water was the commentary and critique on women. As a young girl, Kirabo defines who she is through storytelling and other people's opinions of her. She wants her grandparents to respect her, the older kids to acknowledge her, and more than anything, she wants to find her purpose. In questioning her identity, however, she becomes acutely aware of her body, her sexuality--reproductive and the stigma surrounding girls who are sexually active--and realizes that being a woman isn't as simple as she thought. Women are supposed to support each other, but she frequently finds herself at odds with the other women in her life. A woman's worth is defined by men, whether it be father or husband, but Kirabo spends her early years apart from her father and then watches as he's scolded by his mother. Her struggle to make sense of herself in a world of competing dichotomies was so relatable and spot-on. This is where Makumbi shines; beyond culture and race and religion and differences, there is a universal complexity to being a woman, and the journey to self-discovery is oftentimes full of confusion and doubt.

And hope.

Makumbi's writing is beautiful, authentic, and seemingly effortless. I appreciated her use of storytelling traditions and oral histories and could've read those stories all day. Some of the chapters were a bit dense and description heavy, but overall, A Girl Is a Body of Water was a superb, heartfelt, brilliant read with no shortage of heart string-tugging moments and beautiful reflection.

Thank you to Tin House and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

In this coming-of-age story set in 1970s Uganda, we meet Kirabo, a young girl who lives with her paternal grandparents and has no knowledge of her mother. The story follows her as she grows up: her friendships; first love; complicated family dynamics; and more. While I enjoyed the book, it was definitely a challenge to get through because of the many references to Ugandan society and culture. With some Googling, it is manageable, but even then I wonder how much I missed out on because of my lack of knowledge and familiarity with the country. I'd be curious to hear what someone who does know about Uganda or is from there got out of the book and compare notes. In any case, if you're willing to put in a little work or be okay with not understanding every reference, this is a worthwhile read.

This review is of what may be a pre-final-edited-version of this book provided to me via Net Galley.

A Girl is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi is essentially a coming-of-age story set in Uganda in the 1970s. The story begins with Kirabo Nnamiiro, a smart, feisty, twelve-year-old girl who consults a blind elderly neighbor, Nsuuta-labeled by the village as a witch-, to help search for her mother and also to help her to deal with the conflicting emotions wracking her teenage body that make her "feel squeezed inside this body as if there is no space." The relationship Kirabo develops with Nsuuta is complicated by the contentious relationship between Nsuuta and Kirabo's grandmother, Muka Miiro, an intriguing relationship which becomes the centerpiece of the story at one point.

The book is simple in structure yet filled with such beautiful detail, colorful depictions, and such complex relationships that--once you get into it-- it is impossible to stop reading until you know how where the journey ends. It got off to a slow start. For example, in the beginning we meet a large chorus of cousins, most of whom do not feature in the rest of the book. And in early meetings between Kirabo and Nsuuta, their exchange is so filled with undertones of an unspoken history, readers may find it hard to get immersed in their discussions. As a result (assuming the audience is YA) I question whether teen readers will truly connect with this book.

That said, readers who persevere will be well rewarded. As the book continues, we journey with Kirabo through many changes. She leaves her rural home where her grandfather, Miiro, commands great respect as a wealthy farmer and moves to the city where she sees her relative wealth in a different light and "her dress, which she had thought so pretty, now [feels] drab." As the book progresses, Kirabo learns her family secrets, falls in love, goes to a prestigious all-girls boarding school, and endures great emotional pain and betrayal until we leave her at nineteen matured, assertive, and about to embark on a significant new journey.

Kirabo has a large close-knit extended family, and so A Girl is a Body of Water includes a large cast of characters that is sometimes difficult to follow. There were a couple of characters who were drawn in a harshly negative light and given no real opportunity for redemption, but the main cast is truly appealing, realistic, and nuanced and most readers will relate to Kirabo's adventurous spirit, the fun and rebellious aunt Abi, and the gentle interior under Grandmother's sternness, and more.

In addition to being a coming of age story, A Girl is a Body of Water takes a serious look at a number of issues which were front and center for women in the 1970s and remain so today. Women’s rights and the feminist movement (mwenkanonkano) are a central theme as Kirabo questions her place in the world and the contrast between the opportunities afforded to and the expectations placed on her and those available to her male counterparts. Nsuuta shows her the power of story-telling to build community but also to change a narrative to suit the story-teller's purpose and often to redefine women's position in the world, making them "rootless." They discuss ideas such as the way that "women are brought up to treat sex as sacred while men treat it as a snack" and how since "Boys and men were [portrayed as] wolves...it fell on girls not to awaken the animal in men." In the early sections of the book when Kirabo is twelve, it seems unrealistic that she truly understands some of these concepts and the discussions come across as Makumbi trying to make a point, however, overall, the ideas are woven tightly into the narrative and do not stand out as being preachy. In addition, the book attempts a balanced look at the treatment of women and includes a number of men who make a conscious effort to treat women respectively and as equals, although Kirabo realizes that even these men view some women worthy of respect and others, disposable.

The book is set during Idi Amin's presidency and as a result, the scourge of unrest, war, and clan rivalry touches the character's lives. Makumbi avoids making this a political commentary, only including the impact of the war as much as it disrupts the family's life. At the forefront are the relationships among the characters, fierce loyalties, tight friendships, blind love, and betrayal. The story also touches on the complexities of inheritance in a country where maintaining land ownership within a family is paramount.

The story is deeply steeped in Ugandan landscape, culture, lifestyle, and language. The narrative and the dialog are both written with nuances of - what I assume is - Ugandan speech, and this is as it should be. While certain turns of phrase or customs may seem unusual to Western readers, this is an added bonus for those readers-exposure to something new; a learning opportunity encapsulated in an engaging novel.

A Girl is a Body of Water takes an unbiased and unapologetic look at gender-, class-, religion-, and color-related challenges of growing up as a young woman in 1970 in Uganda in a way that will resonate with many readers and make us question how much we have really evolved.

Sad to say, I struggled with this book. I had a hard time keeping the characters straight and making sense of what I was reading. I think it’s well written, just not a good fit for me.
3 stars

Galley copy provided by Net Galley for an honest review.

A stunning and heartbreaking coming of age story at the height of political unrest in Uganda. Devastating to think what life was like for a young girl under the rule of Idi Amin. This story enthralled and saddened me.