Review: Mazzi Wampamba's The Virgin Journey

Nov 11, 2016

The rave reviews the novel has been getting are a testament to its appeal and good quality

With her new novel entitled, 'The Virgin Journey', talented Ugandan author, Mazzi Wampamba proves once again that she wields a skilful pen.

The rave reviews the novel has been getting on websites such as goodreads.com and from acclaimed bloggers and speechwriters for US government officials are a testament to its appeal and good quality. 

The Virgin Journey is a carefully constructed and detailed narrative around the life, times and escapades of a young American Film Management graduate - Gary Stokes.

Stokes spends time casting about for gainful employment in Reagan era America to no avail.

After years without work, Michael Hayes, Stokes's best friend in college suggests and prevails upon him to take on Journalism.

Stokes budges and he takes on an assignment with the News agency-United Press International. He is sent on a journalistic assignment to East Africa.

Stokes had also done a major in journalism at the University of California so journalism was nothing new to him.

His passion before and after college however was filmmaking and management. 

Wampamba builds a solid and captivating narrative of Stokes early experiences in East Africa. She conveys the story with an easy choice of words, vividly describing settings, portraying characters and presenting events in a coherent and consistent way. 

Most of the events in the novel occur in Nairobi.  Each incident in Stokes's journalism journey becomes a necessary and compelling link, leading to an interesting climax. 

Wampamba uses language that gives reality to her narration. 

The way she reveals the protagonist's and other character's attitudes, reactions and upshots is imagery in the best form.

 

Stokes is stationed at the UPI bureau in Nairobi. Whilst there, he scrapes acquaintaimces with a fellow reporter by the name of Guy Woodward.

They become close friends and begin having frequent discourses on the pitfalls of reporting from East Africa.

Stokes becomes enamoured with the beauty of East Africa and the boisterous nightlife in Nairobi, thanks in large part to his friend. 

Woodward greatly helps Stokes adjust to a new life in East Africa. 

At the center of Stoke's new life in East Africa is a young lady by the name of Molly Kimani, a university student, he meets at Karen bar in Nairobi.

The two later develop an intimate relationship which as Wampamba describes gets real heated and zesty.

Stokes however had a girlfriend in the United States. He seems keen on plugging the plug on that affair as he gets closer to Kimani.

Kimani on the other hand was being dissuaded from dating Stokes by Freda, her Ugandan roommate at Nairobi University.

The relationship between the two at the threshold seems chequered and topsy turvy with Kimani playing hard to get, but it gradually blossoms.

Elizabeth Wise, Stokes American girlfriend was by now planning to visit him, unaware Stokes' fancy was being taken by another woman. 

Stokes was clearly in a love triangle and at a wits end.

What follows when Wise arrives in Nairobi makes for interesting reading. Get yourself a copy of the "Virgin Journey-the Reporter Trilogy".

It is the first in these series. The second part of this three part trilogy will be out soon.

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