Discuss the ways in which Makumbi reveals the differences in social class among her characters.
What role do family secrets and gossip play in this novel? Are there ways in which village gossip unearths truth, or is it always damaging?ĥ. How did the setting and its history inform your reading of the novel? Did you consult a map at any point? Were you curious to read more about Uganda’s history?Ĥ. Uganda itself emerges as a character in the book. Women inform much of the action in the novel how do they work together (or against each other) throughout the novel?ģ. What do the origin stories in A Girl Is a Body of Water tell us about the powers of storytelling or the power given to those who create foundational myths and folklore? Why do you think Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi reclaims mythology for women in the narrative?Ģ. Kirabo’s journey to reconcile her rebellious origins, alongside her desire to reconnect with her mother and to honor her family, is rich in the folklore of Uganda and an arresting exploration of what it means to be a modern girl in a world that seems determined to silence women. Nsuuta also explains that Kirabo has a streak of the “first woman”―an independent, original state that has been all but lost to women. Seeking answers, she begins spending afternoons with Nsuuta, a local witch, trading stories and learning about the woman who birthed her, who she learns is alive but not ready to meet. Kirabo also feels the emergence of a mysterious second self, a headstrong and confusing force inside her. In her twelfth year, Kirabo, a young Ugandan girl, confronts a question that has haunted her childhood: who is my mother? Kirabo has been raised by women in the small village of Nattetta―but the absence of her mother follows her like a shadow.
International-award-winning author Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s novel is a sweeping and powerful portrait of a young girl and her family: who they are, what history has taken from them, and―most importantly―how they find their way back to each other.
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