Wanderers

the long version

This exquisitely crafted collection includes several stories set in Kenya, offering tantalizing glimpses of life in that troubled but fascinating country beyond the picturesque game parks. In 'Mistaken Identity, ' a blunder by an American groom-to-be at a traditional Kikuyu engagement ceremony lands him in hot water with his fiance. 'Something Small' depicts the inner struggles of a man trying to remain honest amid a culture of corruption. In 'Departure, ' an expatriate returning to Nairobi for a visit discovers her brother's plans to raze the family home. Despairing of changing his mind, she sets off on what she expects will be a nostalgic voyage to the coast via the overnight train. Sadly typical of the Kenya to which she has come back, however, the elegant conveyances of her youth now exist only in her memory, and her journey becomes a grim test of her endurance.