At 443 pages this was a long book, but not a difficult read. Towards the end the sections became shorter, and my anticipation to find out what happens in the final section cranked up.

Kintu is the story of the extended clan descended from Kintu Kidda. Per Wikipedia, Kintu is a mythologial figure of the Buganda people and is the father of humans. I can give an overarching description of the arc of the story, but it is more than the sum of its parts.

The first section of the book, set in the mid 18th century, tells the story of Kintu, his family, and the actions that result in a curse being laid on his family and descendants. The next four sections tell the story of one descendant each (and their branch of the family) at the turn of the 20th and 21st century, and the sixth and final section tells the story of the extended family coming together in 2004 to try and remove the curse. Not everything is tied up neatly by the end, but much healing does take place.

This is a rich story that I think will reward re-reading. In addition to the literal story, the family stands in for the people of Uganda and gives us a glimpse of a variety of viewpoints and traditions that dwell together. This is also, in my mind, primarily the story of the male descendants. I am curious about what it would look like if told from a female perspective. It's also a story about the interplay of tradition and modernity. And I'm sure other readers will find other threads/themes they want to follow. ( )

It took me a little while to settle into Kintu, but once I realised that the novel is an epic not just in its scope but also in genre, it clicked with me. Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's debut novel spans the history of what is now Uganda from the eighteenth century to the present day, exploring the region through the varied fates of the descendants of the eponymous Kintu. Makumbi's prose is strong, and her observations on patriarchy, homosexuality, and family, are incisive yet quite subtle. An absorbing read. ( )

This story begins in the 1700's in the kingdom of Ganda. Kintu is the leader of this area with several wives including a pair of twins--one he loves and one he doesn't. The one he doesn't love has many children; the other is barren but takes an abandoned infant who is part Tutsi and raises him as her own. All children call all mothers mother. The family relationships are complex and intertwined. As the two sons are killed, a curse settles over the family.

The remaining chapters each set in contemporary times tell the story of an individual descendant of Kintu. Each character is in a different situation and some are more aware of their connection to Kintu than others. Some are aware of the curse and believe it; others dismiss it as superstition especially Miisi who has been educated in Britain. The stories include humor, violence, child abuse, war, history, and love.

The final chapter is a family reunion supposedly organized to lift the curse of the family. The individuals are brought together each bringing their own ideas of what needs to happen or how important family relationships are. The numerous uses of African words make the stories difficult to understand at times and each character (and there must be a 100 different characters) often are called by different names which is so confusing.

I enjoyed the book as much as I could and appreciate being able to take a walk in Ugandan culture. The introduction to the book was also very interesting. "History looks nothing like this clash of nations and empires and states; however, true and valid such stories may be on their on terms; on the ground, history is the accumulated prejudices, hopes, and superstitions that we carry even if we don't understand how we acquired them, everything we don't know makes us who we are. History is a fabric of memories and fear and forgetting, of longing and nostalgia, of invention and recreation. History is bunk, and sometimes it is a good thing it is." ( )

Described as "the great Ugandan novel you didn't know you were waiting for".

It begins with a 100 page story of Kintu Kidda in 1750; then 350+ pages with multiple stories of his descendants in 2004, but also flashing back to the 1970- 1990s to give backstory and context.

Although the stories were interesting, I found it quite confusing because of the African names, and the fact that each new story started fresh, being completely unrelated to what I had been reading.

The descendants did come together at the end at a reunion but it didn’t seem to me that all the ‘threads’ came together.

Nevertheless, well worth reading to learn and understand about the history of the Ganda people. Be sure to read the foreword by Aaron Bady. ( )