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In Ripples in the Pool, pioneering author Rebeka Njau depicts a love affair between two women and the futile fight for female independence.A rich, modern woman, Selina has happily embraced the independence of the city and looks forward to starting her new life with her husband, Gikere. Yet when his mother implores them to return to their village, Selina's own happiness comes under threat.
Unexpectedly, Selina finds comfort in the affections of Gikere's younger sister, Gaciru. Distancing herself from a marriage that has become increasingly violent, Selina falls deeper and deeper into a maddening love affair with ruinous results...
Groundbreaking in its time,
Ripples in the Pool still has resonance and impact today in its portrayal of forbidden love in an intolerant society.
About the author
Rebeka Njau was born in 1932 in Kiambu County, Kenya and is a pioneering playwright and novelist.
Her earliest works appeared under the name 'Rebecca Njau' as well as the pseudonym 'Marina Gashe'.
Njau was educated at Makerere University College in Kampala. While studying there, she attended the 1962 African Writers Conference alongside other prominent writers such as Chinua Achebe, Christopher Okigbo, and Wole Soyinka.
On her return to Kenya after graduation, Njau founded the Nairobi Girls School in 1964 before going on to work as an editor at Target, the magazine of the National Council of Churches in Kenya.
Njau currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya.
Summary
Ripples in the Pool is a symbolic and powerful novel that delves into the tragedy and spiritual disconnection in rural Africa.
Central characters, like Selina, a former prostitute, and Gikere, a hospital assistant, return to their village with ambitions of wealth and power, neglecting the spiritual significance of the village pool. The pool, guarded by a mysterious old man, symbolizes the land's integrity and spiritual essence. As these characters pursue material gains, they disregard this spiritual core, leading to their downfall.
Selina's journey, marked by a conflict between her rural roots and urban disillusionment, ends in personal and communal tragedy. The novel critiques modernity's moral decay and the loss of spiritual connection, questioning whether the pool's sanctity ultimately prevails over such corruption.
The characters, who span a whole tapestry of rural Africa, are portrayed with a depth and richness that illuminates with shocking clarity aspects of rural society heretofore largely unexplored by African writers.
Foreword
Ripples in the Pool is a symbolic and powerful novel that delves into the tragedy and spiritual disconnection in rural Africa.
