Book Title: Whispers from Vera
Author: Goretti Kyomuhendo
Reviewer: Racheal Kizza
If you have lived in Kampala for many a year as I have, it’s hard not to come across a group of ladies whispering about their frustrations with marriage and dating: the need for it; how it has eluded them; and finally, achieving it. This is the atmosphere which is captured in the novella turned novel, Whispers from Vera by Goretti Kyomuhendo. It embodies the trials and triumphs of the modern-day woman thrust into the crux of desiring marriage, dealing with societal pressure and customs, career advancement, motherhood, and handling friends, family and in-laws.
The novel opens with Vera succinctly stating who she is like a witness taking an oath in court, to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth. ‘My name is Vera. I am twenty-nine years old. I’m the product Manager of TN Telecoms Company, here in Kampala. I’m a focused, ambitious and determined career woman.’ A woman who is assertive, not afraid to state who she is, her needs, desires and dissatisfactions. A woman with a voice. A concept quite foreign in our context with unspoken rules of how women should behave: be quiet and don’t draw attention to yourself, don’t be too ambitious, which inadvertently fosters a culture of silence. A woman who is silent about her trials and triumphs is to be praised. Vera is not this woman. She is liberal, free and has a voice, making her a loveable character; and the novel, a powerful read.
Vera is a hopeless romantic who like most Kampala women hopes to one day meet her ‘prince charming’, get married and have lovely children even after experiencing severe heartbreak from past relationships. When she finally meets him, her excitement is palpable. ‘I want to let you know that I have fallen in love with the man of my dreams. My prince charming! Don’t rush to judge me for using tired cliches. This is for real. I’ve never experienced anything like this.’ Goretti skillfully takes the reader on a journey to reflect on whether charm and the man of your dreams are the prerequisites for a successful relationship/marriage.
Kyomuhendo interrogates what marriage vis-à-vis career development looks like for both men and women. From when the novel opens, Vera who is ‘a focused, ambitious and determined career woman’ is eyeing a promotion at work. However, seven years later, she still hasn’t achieved the promotion, but boasts of other achievements: a marriage certificate and children. However, Eric, her husband, is awarded a promotion in those same years and is always globe-trotting; courtesy of his work! As a reader, I was bombarded with a barrage of questions: can a woman have it all? Does marriage benefit men more than women? Is marriage the price women pay to take ‘a back seat’ and not adequately advance their careers? Kyomuhendo makes it plain and clear that these questions are very personal, and can only be answered, as well as examined by the person in the context.
Vera, like most Kampala women, has a group of female friends from different walks of life: Sheila, who is at the same level as Vera as they have the same educational background and are married into the corporate pool; Jacinta and Halima who are not well educated but have wisdom that does not need a degree. Through these wells of wisdom, Vera gains counsel to make decisions in life. This affirms the notion that decisions in a communal society like Uganda, are never made singularly. Furthermore, the differences in the women at all levels reveal that the effects of patriarchy affect all women across the board.
I loved the nuanced approach Kyomuhendo took in dissecting themes that are core to the novel. You laugh with Vera as she narrates her ordeals but also, you’re stealthily forced to think critically about what is happening to her and those around her.
Goretti Kyomuhendo writes Vera’s musings with cunning honesty and tenderness. I related deeply to Vera grappling to make sense of what a male colleague does to her during a social visit. ‘Was that rape? Sexual assault? Inappropriate touching?’ For the first time, we see a Vera who is uncertain. In our society, it is not uncommon for women to be assaulted but they fail to define what exactly happened and because of that, they cannot report it to the police, because they don’t understand the situation, nor have they processed it. The mind goes into shock.
According to the Cambridge dictionary, Whisper is ‘to speak very quietly using the breath but not the voice, so that only the person close to you can hear you.’ In Whispers from Vera, readers are drawn into Vera’s conversational tone that is very intimate and persona, like she’s speaking to a group of friends she’s not afraid to bare all.
The first-person narration further cements the intimacy of the whispers as they are intended for just the reader’s ears. Furthermore, the whispers ground Vera’s voice as though the author was intentional with this, giving Vera a voice in a world that is always trying to mute women’s voices. Vera’s voice is humorous, assertive, kind, and self-assured; representing many women today in our generation.
The novel is written in a fast-paced, humour-filled manner that will keep the reader captivated to the end; because Vera is a friend and as with friends who are vulnerable with us, we listen with an open ear and big heart so as not to judge. As Vera says, ‘Don’t rush to judge me …’
Goretti Kyomuhendo, like her counterpart Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, a Ugandan-British novelist and short story writer, grounds the novel with a Ugandaness that is befitting. As Ugandans, we love lugambo (rumour) and kaboozi (conversation) laced with exclamations for effect. Vera continuously uses terms such as ‘wanji? , Mbwenu!, mbu, banange, fwa …’ to express herself. She also uses uglish, which is common in our conversations and is more meaningful as we bend the Queen’s English to the will of our homegrown dialects. All these components enrich the language in the novel, making it a staple in Uganda’s contemporary literature.
Whispers from Vera is a story of so many women finding their ground and identity in a society that is bent on silencing them and mounting pressure at every growth point.
Where to find the book:
The book is available at Tubaze African Books, Mahiri Books and Aristoc Booklex.
About the reviewer:
Racheal Kizza is a cultural practitioner, avid reader and host of the Meet Your Author Podcast.
