For our December read, the Zeda Book Club journeyed to Uganda through The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, an enthralling, witty, and emotionally layered novel about identity, womanhood, power, and the painful but necessary work of becoming oneself. Part coming-of-age story, part feminist history, Makumbi’s writing is rich with cultural memory, humour, and sharp observation, offering us a story where personal awakening meets national transformation.
The novel follows Kirabo, a spirited girl growing up in rural Uganda in the 1970s. She is curious, defiant, and hungry for answers, especially about the mother she has never known. Raised largely by her grandparents, Kirabo learns early that women are expected to be self-sacrificing, contained, and obedient, but Kirabo is not built for containment. As she seeks the truth of her origins, she encounters Nsuuta, a mysterious aunt-figure who teaches her about “the first woman”, a mythic ancestral self, untamed and free, that patriarchy has tried to bury. What unfolds is a beautifully layered narrative about matrilineal knowledge, female autonomy, and the long shadow of shame placed on women who refuse to shrink.
One of the themes that resonated deeply in our book club was the complicated mother–daughter dynamic. Kirabo’s longing for her mother, paired with her resentment, confusion, and heartbreak when they finally meet, sparked emotional discussions among us. Makumbi captures so well how mother–child relationships can be tender and devastating all at once, especially in societies where daughters are taught obedience before they are taught emotional language. We reflected on how generational wounds, secrecy, and trauma shape these bonds, and how liberation for women often involves forgiving or confronting the mothers who could not be free themselves.
Makumbi’s humour delighted us. Despite the novel’s heavy themes of colonial legacy, patriarchy, and abandonment, The First Woman is laugh-out-loud funny in places, especially through Kirabo’s sharp tongue and the village women’s wit. The story is deeply Ugandan in its cadence, flavour, and worldview, offering representation and cultural specificity that felt refreshing and resonant. It reminded us of how African literature can hold politics, spirituality, myth, and everyday joy in one breath.
Verdict
The First Woman is a bold and utterly compelling novel about what it means to find your voice in a world determined to control you. Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi gives us a heroine who is curious, flawed, and gloriously alive, and a community of women whose complexity mirrors our own. At Zeda Book Club, this book sparked rich discussions about daughterhood, desire, patriarchy, and the truth that liberation often begins at home, and in the stories women pass to each other. For readers seeking feminist African fiction that is rooted, funny, tender, and intellectually sharp, The First Woman is a must-read.
Zeda Book Club is open to women to join. We café hop and read a new book every month. We meet on the first Sunday of each month in Nairobi. Join the group here. Happy reading!
