Book Review: Of Pawns and Players by Kinyanjui Kombani

Book: Of Pawns and Players

Author: Kinyanjui Kombani

Genre: Fiction

First Published: 2018

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Price: 450

A book has never been as timely as 'Of Pawns and Players'.

Betting situation in Kenya today: it is a multi-million dollar industry. Financial stakeholders of betting and gambling firms are determined to tell you the 'good and the good' of betting, over and over, and they are as sleek as they can be. Every second billboard, every second advertisement on radio and TV station shows happy and excited formerly poor Kenyans telling currently broke Kenyans how betting had improved their lives. Those advertisements get the whole country reaching for their phones to try the same luck; it’s all k’ching to the bank for betting firms. Only that the tragedy of betting is not advertised, left to the village grapevine. Too often the tragedy is so ultimate, it involves death, and depression.

How many people do you personally know that have won these millions? Do you ever wonder why? Could it be perhaps, that the big bucks are not won by luck, rather by design? That angle is the one Kombani, the banker who writes, has taken as the plot in 'Of Pawns and Players'. Thomas Karamu is a disillusioned graduate who has resulted in selling mutura for a living. He does not bet – in fact, he frowns upon his cobbler friend, Elisha, who bets with every spare coin, his and other people’s, especially his own kitchen budget, and Thomas’ money. Elisha is in debt, but he keeps betting, hoping the next bet would be the one. Thomas’ life was simple, until one of his customers, Aria, a rich girl, developed a taste for his mutura, and then some.

Mr. Walaki, Aria’s father, disapproves of the mismatch so he gets his goons to kidnap Thomas.  What was supposed to be a warning against the relationship kicked off an adrenaline filled life for Thomas. There is Thomas, there is Aria, there is Mr. Walaki, there is Alphonse who happens to be part of Mr. Walaki’s entourage, there is Elisha, and then there is the unifying factor; MoneyBet, the betting company. All the characters are pawns and players at some point in the story. Sometimes they are both. Kinyanjui keeps the twists coming to the last chapter, and it is a pleasant surprise on who ends up being the ultimate player.

The book is entertaining and mostly thought provoking. It should make all of us pause before pressing SEND our hard earned money to betting firms because, we may just be pawns being used by the players to make money for themselves, and the selected pawns and players.

I am a self confessed top fan of Kombani since reading 'Den of Inequities' many years ago. He has, like many writers, improved with age, which is saying a lot since his first book was a beautifully told story. 'Of Pawns of Players' did not disappoint and yes, I highly recommend this.

QUICK0FIRE QUESTIONS

-          Is 'Of Pawns and Players' based on a true story? 

o   Not exactly. However, some of the events that happen there are based on true life. For instance, one day I needed to borrow a jiko from a mutura guy so he took me to his place. He had many of them and let them out at a cost of one thousand shillings per day, making over five thousand shillings per day. His house was also very well furnished. We all look down on these mutura guys and do not realise how smart they are. The concept was to get a guy who everyone thinks is daft, but who will finesse everyone. Also, my publishers challenged me to write a humour story (since I am known for dark writing). I used the Wahome Wutahi (Whispers) model where he used ordinary people to tell extraordinary stories.

-          - When did you first get published and how many books do you have to your name so far?

o   The Last Villains of Molo, written in 2002, was released in 2008. By then, I had written We Can Be Friends and Wangari Maathai: Mother of Trees (2007). So far, I have ten books, two collaborations and four upcoming.

-          - How many books are in your head right now?

o   Haha. I have my big novel that is about thirty percent complete. It will need a lot more rewriting since I am completely changing my style. In the meantime, I have a publisher commitment for some commissioned work. That makes it two, for now.

-          - How do you manage to be a banker and a writer, both consuming?

o  I start on a project and set a writing schedule. The rest of the time is for non-writing related activities. My idea is to write for one or two hours every day. I no longer wash the car – instead, as I wait for it to be washed, I sit at a lonely spot and write, or plot. I also take advantage of long flights.

-          - How disciplined are you in writing?

o   Not very. When I have a writing project, I try and do one thousand words per day. However, with work that demands a hundred and fifty percent of me, my writing is becoming more and more erratic.

-          - Has anything changed significantly for Kenyan writers since you started writing?

o   A lot. There is a lot more appreciation for local writing. There are many more forums where writers can feature: Storymoja, Amka Forum, the Book Fair, Writers Guild events, Writers in Conversation events and many more. People are more willing to buy books and pay for writers to come to their events.

-          - How do you handle writer’s block?

o   Before I start the actual writing, I will have plotted most of the story in my head. By the time I am writing, it is just to put the ideas on paper. I also use a technique called mapping which helps me to map out relations between characters, ideas and plot lines. I know how a story will end before I start writing - except in Of Pawns and Players where I had to sit behind a mutura guy stall in my mind.

-          - Any favourite among your books?

o   Haha. No. All my books are like children to me. It is like asking a parent who their favourite child is.

-         -  Do you get attached to characters?

o   Yes. There are characters I love very much. In Den of Inequities, it was a guy called Ghost. I am still thinking of how to bring him back in another story.

-          - What do you wish you knew when you first published?

o   I wish I knew to take the development of my own personal brand as a writer in my own hands. I depended so much on the publisher because I thought they would do everything. I have since learnt that it pays much more if you build your own brand and then the publishers will come looking for you because you can help them sell the books. Also, I wish I knew that publisher contracts are not cast in stone, and that one can actually negotiate to have some limiting clauses removed. For instance, most standard contracts dictate that the author must submit their next manuscript for the first right of refusal. The publisher can give you a raw deal but you are still bound to them contractually

Get your copy of 'Of Pawns and Players' in bookshops and from the writer himself, through his social media pages.