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sunflower_martha's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
juli_mod's review against another edition
5.0
Mix a political Thriller based on true events with a complex family drama and you get this breathtaking, pageturning hell of a novel.
This book is intense! Shame on me that I knew nothing about the Kenyan elections in 2007 and their aftermath, but I also knew very little about Kenyan family life as well. But “havoc of choice” intend not to educate but to put the reader through the emotions, the struggle and the devastation.
But I do the novel no good if it sounds only dark in my description. Because there is light: in the well written characters, the details, the motions of the storyline.
It is a recommendation for every reader who wants to be emerged while reading, to broaden their horizon, to experience new perspectives. Great read.
This book is intense! Shame on me that I knew nothing about the Kenyan elections in 2007 and their aftermath, but I also knew very little about Kenyan family life as well. But “havoc of choice” intend not to educate but to put the reader through the emotions, the struggle and the devastation.
But I do the novel no good if it sounds only dark in my description. Because there is light: in the well written characters, the details, the motions of the storyline.
It is a recommendation for every reader who wants to be emerged while reading, to broaden their horizon, to experience new perspectives. Great read.
whale_of_a_time's review against another edition
4.0
Incredibly confronting and completely heartbreaking. I really admire how ambitious this novel is, taking on such a dark and complex subject and, in spite of everything, turning it into a story that leaves you feeling a little hopeful that better times might lie ahead if we learn from the past.
qiaorui's review against another edition
5.0
On a podcast, Wanjiru Koinange mentions a theory that it can take ten years before a novelist can turn current events into stories. It took herself twelve years from the Kenyan elections to the Havoc of Choice. It is almost a literary thriller: the unceasing suspense made me stop using this as my bedtime read. The novel starts with the cracks in the political household of Ngugi/Kavata about to bursts into half a dozen individual storylines, each telling a small part of the upcoming elections and it's aftermath. We follow parliamentary hopeful Ngugi, corruption-sick Kavata, their politically active student daughter Wanja, driver Thuo, domestic worker and shop owner Schola, and a few others, as media go black and ethnic fault lines surface seemingly out of nowhere. Every story is well told and rounded, and at each turn of events the title proves aptly chosen. And while you know what is coming, the violence still hits hard.
morybaby's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
akinyiakinyi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
As a Kenyan reading this book reminded me of what we went through on December 2007.
blackfeatherhideout's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A detailed and emotional account of the Kenyan elections of 2007, with characters whose stories carry the reader through the ups and down of that period in an engaging way. I appreciated that there was such a wide range of perspectives to view the story from. It made the narrative much richer.
catsloverain's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Grief
efemoh's review against another edition
3.0
Rated: 3.5/5
I enjoyed reading the book but the ending had too many coincidences that I found rather far fetched.
Examples:
- Kavata meets Cheptoo
- Cheptoo's behaviour to Kavata
- Stranger dropping them straight home and waiting for all that exchange (Cheptoo does not go home as intended). Normally, you'll get dropped near the place and they drive on
Etc.
The writer also threw in so many themes at once that got me thinking - what's that for now?
Eg. Schola's rape was not a well developed plot.
Overall, I found the book intriguing and relatable. As a debut, Wanjiru did a good job. Keep writing!
I enjoyed reading the book but the ending had too many coincidences that I found rather far fetched.
Examples:
- Kavata meets Cheptoo
- Cheptoo's behaviour to Kavata
- Stranger dropping them straight home and waiting for all that exchange (Cheptoo does not go home as intended). Normally, you'll get dropped near the place and they drive on
Etc.
The writer also threw in so many themes at once that got me thinking - what's that for now?
Eg. Schola's rape was not a well developed plot.
Overall, I found the book intriguing and relatable. As a debut, Wanjiru did a good job. Keep writing!
mwakisha's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75