Splendour

A moving tale of resistance and renewal, from the acclaimed author of Twelve Words for Moss

Two friends, Kenjo and Leah, swoosh through the lush forests at the edge of the village in Kenya that they call home. Imitating hornbills and lying on the mossy boulders that line the river, the young girls are watched over by a canopy of ancient trees, whose roots reach into the past, present and future.

But this glittering countryside is quickly becoming a haunting. As the armed rebellion against the British colonial regime intensifies, the forest is subsumed in the terrible conflict, disturbing the profound balance of life it nourishes and knowledge it preserves. Forced from their homes, the friends are separated, their lives forever twisted and buckled by the violent rupture.

This tale of courage, survival and restoration captures the healing – and destructive – power of time, and unearths the hidden traces it leaves behind.