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How I discovered this book: It was submitted to Rosie Amber's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.
Forbidden Fruit is a novel about life in a Kenyan village, about the vagaries of human nature, but I felt it was more an illustration of the life and times of the people; the plot comes second. The 'forbidden fruit' of the title refers not only to an illicit affair, but other aspects of the story.
The main character is impoverished villager Ombima, who, at the beginning of the novel, is stealing food from the farms owned by his employers, simply because his family do not have enough. I found the differences between the poor and the wealthy starkly delineated; this interested me and was very well done. The descriptions of the rural life were quite an education, and even though, by Western standards, the lives of the villagers is harsh, I felt that they were no badly off than we are. Certainly there was much joy to be found.
I found the dialogue a little strange at times; I don't know if it was translated from another language or if the author's first language is not English; there is no author profile on Amazon for me to see. But it was a mixture of Americanisms and some curious choices of words; I don't know how Kenyans talk so I can't say whether or not it is authentic.
If you are interested in every day life in rural Africa I am sure you will love this book; every aspect of life is explored in great detail.
Thank you Terry.
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