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An Image in a Mirror
Achen and Nyakale: twin sisters, separated from childhood to inherit different destinies.
In the hope of inheriting a better life, a mother makes the heart-wrenching decision to send one child, Nyakale, to South Africa to be raised by her well-off sister, the child’s aunt, who has no children of her own. The other child, Achen, stays in Uganda to be raised by their mother in a village.
An Image in a Mirror is a richly told and deeply intimate African story about the becoming of two young women, who are, the same as much as they are different. When the sisters, at the age of twenty-two, finally cross their respective worlds to meet, how mirrored will each feel about the other?
Heralding a new female voice in fiction, An Image in a Mirror is a profound debut novel.
In the hope of inheriting a better life, a mother makes the heart-wrenching decision to send one child, Nyakale, to South Africa to be raised by her well-off sister, the child’s aunt, who has no children of her own. The other child, Achen, stays in Uganda to be raised by their mother in a village.
An Image in a Mirror is a richly told and deeply intimate African story about the becoming of two young women, who are, the same as much as they are different. When the sisters, at the age of twenty-two, finally cross their respective worlds to meet, how mirrored will each feel about the other?
Heralding a new female voice in fiction, An Image in a Mirror is a profound debut novel.
180 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2018
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129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 2, 2019
Beautiful writing, really enjoyed this book. I love how the author took care of language. Made me nostalgic and this book made invite my dad to spend christmas with my family
Although the ending threw me off bit. The ending was suppose to the climax but it was just not fulfilling what the characters went through. It did not qualify the character's experience. And besides I'm not a hopeful kinder person. I also really became frustrated by Achen... she is too hopeful. :)
Although the ending threw me off bit. The ending was suppose to the climax but it was just not fulfilling what the characters went through. It did not qualify the character's experience. And besides I'm not a hopeful kinder person. I also really became frustrated by Achen... she is too hopeful. :)
October 22, 2019
Picked this up in the JoBurg airport.
No matter who we are, what color we are, we can always feel out of place. The notion of "home" always intrigues me.
No matter who we are, what color we are, we can always feel out of place. The notion of "home" always intrigues me.
April 3, 2021
This is essentially a coming of age story which mirrors the lives of two young women who shared a womb but are now growing in two disparate countries: Uganda and South Africa. The two protagonists, Achen and Nyakale narrate this poignant tale which is heartbreaking and equally gratifying at the same time. This is a thought provoking novel which will leave you contemplating on some powerful themes that range migration, exploitation of migrants, inequality, morality, domestic violence, loss and sibling rivalry. Ijangolet skillfully weaves a beautiful narrative flowered with beautiful prose.
Migration is one of the dominant themes of the book and Ijangolet skillfully unpacks the other inter-related issues related to this.
“Being in South Africa is a necessity, not a choice.”
This rather potent line made me question my own reasons for being in South Africa and I reflected that I too came here out of necessity, to earn a living that I could no longer earn back home. It made me wonder how many of us were also forced to make the same journey. Moreover, I was also curious about others who had consciously chosen South Africa. It is for this reason that I was particularly drawn to the narrative of Nyakale. She is a young girl who is growing up in South Africa. Trying to find her identity, trying to fit into a world that often does not embrace her.
“Being a foreign national means being constantly on trial, or sitting cross legged across from your identity, negotiating who you are.”
As an immigrant to South Africa, this line resonated deeply with me as I am sure it would with anyone who has ever been uprooted from their home and forced to settle in another country.
In the words of Jo Bucks, he says “Being a migrant sucks. It is not tourism. It is learning to live as a stranger who is not welcome, where you have little support and can rely on money (which you don’t have) to see you through.” However one has to be careful of painting the migrant experience with one brush as Nyakale shows us that her aunt and uncle are actually an affluent family, living in the heart of Sandton in the lap luxury. However, even then they are still not immune to the vagaries of migration.
“I cannot divorce myself from either South Africa or East Africa” is another moving line in the book which refers to Ijangolets own origions. She was born in Kenya to Ugandan parents and raised in Butteroworth in the Eastern Cape. “With history, this history, I am South African, but not entirely. I am also not Ugandan enough.” This highlights one of the prominent themes in the book of dual identity. Who do you identify as? What does it mean to be Ugandan or South African? Is it speaking the language? Adopting the culture? Does being born in a country make you a citizen of it if you are borne of parents who are not citizens of that country? What identity do you assume? Identity politics is real, especially in a country like South Africa where over the years we have witnessed xenophobic violence which shows that hostility to foreigners is real.
The book also tackles another important theme of nostalgia versus reality. This is often true of those people who left their countries of origion and migrated elsewhere. Achen laments: “I always hate it when Ugandan-South Africans come to the village, retelling their stories of a Uganda that no longer exists except in their memories.” Many migrants survive on nostalgia.
“Distant observers, listening to tales from home, forced to speculate when there are long silences. Continuing to hope, when the news tells you otherwise. But nonetheless, Uganda is often on their lips; it refuses to be confined to the archives of memory.”
Achen further bewails: “My friends Cynthia and Sandra are coming to help with the preparations. They’re both visiting home.” This is a poignant line that alludes to how we become visitors to our own countries. We are guests in our own homes. We are like tourists, landing for a two week sojourn before returning to our other lives. Our other homes. Often as a migrant the word “home” has different connotations for different people. Home could simply become a place of your birth or home could become where you are now rooted. Home is where the heart is goes the famous saying, but how true is that when your heart yearns for a place that no longer exists except in your mind. Is it really home when you only visit it once or twice a year?
The book also stirs emotions about the first. First heartbreak, first friendship, first love. Ultimately Nyakale’s first heartbreak is her separation from her mother. Then her separation from the motherland. Her umbilical cord is cut first, then her heart. This book will have you questioning adoption and parenthood. Who is a parent? The person who gives birth to you or the person who raises you? Just because you have not birthed a child, does that make you less of a mother? Loss is one of the overriding themes of the book and how we deal with it or are unable to deal with it. We have two mothers in the book who are dealing with loss, both imagined and real.
“This type of grief is alien to us, to our community. Grief that doesn’t bring you to your knees, but takes you to other, ‘idle places’.”
We can draw parallels between them in how they both deal with loss of their daughters. Achen’s mother is still struggling to deal with her own loss of Nyakale who she gives away to her own sister to raise. Then we have Aisha’s mother who deals with the loss of her daughter Mbali, which is more final in that she loses her to death and alcohol becomes her coping mechanism. However, we must not forget Aunt Mercy who also becomes the third person in this triangle of loss as she mourns the babies she lost. Babies whose lives never came to fruition but still represents loss in her life.
Apart from the many moments that will leave you deeply introspecting, the book also has its fair share of light, warm and fuzzy moments that will have you thinking of your first love, your first kiss and your first romance. It is an evocative walk down memory lane. The story finally culminates with the two sisters finally meeting and Nyakale’s reunion with her biological mother. The ending magnifies the importance of seeking closure and provides a mirror image of how our lives could have turned out depending on the circumstances dished to us.
Ijangolet has definitely demonstrated her prowess as a writer with this debut novel which is coloured with many themes and angles. I look forward to reading more of her work in future.
Migration is one of the dominant themes of the book and Ijangolet skillfully unpacks the other inter-related issues related to this.
“Being in South Africa is a necessity, not a choice.”
This rather potent line made me question my own reasons for being in South Africa and I reflected that I too came here out of necessity, to earn a living that I could no longer earn back home. It made me wonder how many of us were also forced to make the same journey. Moreover, I was also curious about others who had consciously chosen South Africa. It is for this reason that I was particularly drawn to the narrative of Nyakale. She is a young girl who is growing up in South Africa. Trying to find her identity, trying to fit into a world that often does not embrace her.
“Being a foreign national means being constantly on trial, or sitting cross legged across from your identity, negotiating who you are.”
As an immigrant to South Africa, this line resonated deeply with me as I am sure it would with anyone who has ever been uprooted from their home and forced to settle in another country.
In the words of Jo Bucks, he says “Being a migrant sucks. It is not tourism. It is learning to live as a stranger who is not welcome, where you have little support and can rely on money (which you don’t have) to see you through.” However one has to be careful of painting the migrant experience with one brush as Nyakale shows us that her aunt and uncle are actually an affluent family, living in the heart of Sandton in the lap luxury. However, even then they are still not immune to the vagaries of migration.
“I cannot divorce myself from either South Africa or East Africa” is another moving line in the book which refers to Ijangolets own origions. She was born in Kenya to Ugandan parents and raised in Butteroworth in the Eastern Cape. “With history, this history, I am South African, but not entirely. I am also not Ugandan enough.” This highlights one of the prominent themes in the book of dual identity. Who do you identify as? What does it mean to be Ugandan or South African? Is it speaking the language? Adopting the culture? Does being born in a country make you a citizen of it if you are borne of parents who are not citizens of that country? What identity do you assume? Identity politics is real, especially in a country like South Africa where over the years we have witnessed xenophobic violence which shows that hostility to foreigners is real.
The book also tackles another important theme of nostalgia versus reality. This is often true of those people who left their countries of origion and migrated elsewhere. Achen laments: “I always hate it when Ugandan-South Africans come to the village, retelling their stories of a Uganda that no longer exists except in their memories.” Many migrants survive on nostalgia.
“Distant observers, listening to tales from home, forced to speculate when there are long silences. Continuing to hope, when the news tells you otherwise. But nonetheless, Uganda is often on their lips; it refuses to be confined to the archives of memory.”
Achen further bewails: “My friends Cynthia and Sandra are coming to help with the preparations. They’re both visiting home.” This is a poignant line that alludes to how we become visitors to our own countries. We are guests in our own homes. We are like tourists, landing for a two week sojourn before returning to our other lives. Our other homes. Often as a migrant the word “home” has different connotations for different people. Home could simply become a place of your birth or home could become where you are now rooted. Home is where the heart is goes the famous saying, but how true is that when your heart yearns for a place that no longer exists except in your mind. Is it really home when you only visit it once or twice a year?
The book also stirs emotions about the first. First heartbreak, first friendship, first love. Ultimately Nyakale’s first heartbreak is her separation from her mother. Then her separation from the motherland. Her umbilical cord is cut first, then her heart. This book will have you questioning adoption and parenthood. Who is a parent? The person who gives birth to you or the person who raises you? Just because you have not birthed a child, does that make you less of a mother? Loss is one of the overriding themes of the book and how we deal with it or are unable to deal with it. We have two mothers in the book who are dealing with loss, both imagined and real.
“This type of grief is alien to us, to our community. Grief that doesn’t bring you to your knees, but takes you to other, ‘idle places’.”
We can draw parallels between them in how they both deal with loss of their daughters. Achen’s mother is still struggling to deal with her own loss of Nyakale who she gives away to her own sister to raise. Then we have Aisha’s mother who deals with the loss of her daughter Mbali, which is more final in that she loses her to death and alcohol becomes her coping mechanism. However, we must not forget Aunt Mercy who also becomes the third person in this triangle of loss as she mourns the babies she lost. Babies whose lives never came to fruition but still represents loss in her life.
Apart from the many moments that will leave you deeply introspecting, the book also has its fair share of light, warm and fuzzy moments that will have you thinking of your first love, your first kiss and your first romance. It is an evocative walk down memory lane. The story finally culminates with the two sisters finally meeting and Nyakale’s reunion with her biological mother. The ending magnifies the importance of seeking closure and provides a mirror image of how our lives could have turned out depending on the circumstances dished to us.
Ijangolet has definitely demonstrated her prowess as a writer with this debut novel which is coloured with many themes and angles. I look forward to reading more of her work in future.
April 8, 2020
An incredible read. Ijangolet took us through a journey with the characters, I went through every emotion with them. Easily one of the best reads. I look forward to reading more work by Ijangolet.
June 21, 2025
Nyakale and Achen are twins separated at birth; Achen was raised by their mother in Uganda, while Nyakale was sent to live with a wealthy aunty in South Africa. As they grow up, each girl is a little jealous of the sister whom she has never met – and each must grapple with her identity, belonging, and values.
Nyakale and Achen are complex characters with strong, believable arcs befitting the coming-of-age theme. Ogwang, herself the daughter of Ugandan parents but raised in South Africa, convincingly immerses the reader in their parallel lives and explores what it means to be a woman within their respective communities.
I found the writing engaging throughout, with moments of high tension in the second half of the novel. My only complaint is that the time jumps weren’t clearly signposted, so I spent much of the second chapter confused that Nyakale still went to school aged 22.
The title and blurb are also somewhat misleading; I expected the story to focus a lot more on the interaction between the sisters than it did. In actual fact, they only meet in the last chapter and we witness little more than their first impressions of each other. A few more chapters might have tied the narrative together better and strengthened the themes of family and home.
That said, I enjoyed the novel overall. It gave me a glimpse into another culture and left me with plenty to think about. I’d recommend An Image in a Mirror for a contemplative, character-driven read.
Nyakale and Achen are complex characters with strong, believable arcs befitting the coming-of-age theme. Ogwang, herself the daughter of Ugandan parents but raised in South Africa, convincingly immerses the reader in their parallel lives and explores what it means to be a woman within their respective communities.
I found the writing engaging throughout, with moments of high tension in the second half of the novel. My only complaint is that the time jumps weren’t clearly signposted, so I spent much of the second chapter confused that Nyakale still went to school aged 22.
The title and blurb are also somewhat misleading; I expected the story to focus a lot more on the interaction between the sisters than it did. In actual fact, they only meet in the last chapter and we witness little more than their first impressions of each other. A few more chapters might have tied the narrative together better and strengthened the themes of family and home.
That said, I enjoyed the novel overall. It gave me a glimpse into another culture and left me with plenty to think about. I’d recommend An Image in a Mirror for a contemplative, character-driven read.
June 3, 2025
I'm realizing that I enjoy good prose. This was not good prose. It's a miracle that I finished it.
October 20, 2020
I enjoyed it. Her delve into the concept of a "better life" from the world views of a rural and middle class urban African is both current and relevant. Her sentence were sometimes unwieldly as they often seemed contrary to their meaning and the imagery they described. Definitely, relatable to middle class Ugandan South Africans.
June 24, 2022
An Image In a mirror is a novel about social consciousness. It explores the complexity and depth of social roles gender roles and expectations. It also delves deep into the different types of "feminist" and highlights the multiple dimensions and manifestations, which complicates the feminist archetype, in a refreshing manner. It also presents a fresh picture of Africa, and parent-child relations. It is highly relatable and moves away from the typical African or Africa-based novel, where everything is about struggle and poverty and land invasions.
A beautiful read
A beautiful read
June 5, 2020
A lovely read about twins Sisters separated at Birth; a choice made by their Mother who knew she couldn’t take care of both of them so she shared the ‘burden’ with her Sister. They are countries apart but their lives are so in-sync, unbeknownst to them both. They have a lot of questions about the choice their mother made and I guess some underlying resentments towards each other. At the end they find what they’ve both been longing for... Sisterhood.
June 14, 2018
An incredible debut. Injagolet is a wonderful writer. The language and composition is beautiful. The book deals with many complex issues very well; Injagolet manages to discuss each issue well enough without over explaining it. It's a short read, it's easy to read yet it still has substance. I look forward to reading more of her work.
April 19, 2025
This is such a hidden gem. It’s a story about identity, family, and finding your place when your world doesn’t quite make sense.
The book follows twin sisters who were separated at birth one raised in Uganda and the other in South Africa. They grow up worlds apart, with completely different experiences, but you can feel this invisible thread connecting them the whole time. When their paths finally cross, it’s emotional and a little messy but in the best, most real way.
What I loved is how the book explores what it means to belong. It asks big questions: Who are we without our history? How do we navigate family secrets? And can you be both grateful for your life and still feel like something’s missing? The writing is simple and beautiful, and Ijangolet captures the differences in culture and upbringing without ever picking sides.
It’s a quick read but surprisingly deep.
August 13, 2021
Yes, I enjoyed the premise of this book and I related to it but I just couldn't give it 4 stars. The diction just upset me because people do not actually talk like that.
Their ages ranged from early teens to young adults but how they spoke felt like I was watching teenagers trying to be adults. Maybe that was a comment on how they're both old souls who don't necessarily belong in their respective spaces but it just came off so jarring. It almost felt like because it's a debut, the author was trying too hard to prove that she understands the English language as well as how to use it well.
Nonetheless, I appreciated how she captured the immigrant story and all the little tidbits that only a foreigner in South Africa can understand and appreciate.
I'm looking forward to her next book.
Their ages ranged from early teens to young adults but how they spoke felt like I was watching teenagers trying to be adults. Maybe that was a comment on how they're both old souls who don't necessarily belong in their respective spaces but it just came off so jarring. It almost felt like because it's a debut, the author was trying too hard to prove that she understands the English language as well as how to use it well.
Nonetheless, I appreciated how she captured the immigrant story and all the little tidbits that only a foreigner in South Africa can understand and appreciate.
I'm looking forward to her next book.
August 17, 2020
I don't like to give negative reviews, especially for debut novels, but I didn't think this book was particularly well written. The dialogue is particularly ham-fisted, and the unannounced time jumps make it difficult to follow without much justification.
I didn't think the underlying story idea was bad, just badly handled, so hopefully future work from the author will be stronger. Good luck to her!
I didn't think the underlying story idea was bad, just badly handled, so hopefully future work from the author will be stronger. Good luck to her!
August 20, 2020
Another book with a strong start that I quickly lost interest in. The writing was just very flat, especially the dialogue. We were supposed to be invested in the friends of these two girls without having fully gotten a sense of them. One giggled a lot. The other didn’t. They were both supposedly empathetic characters and yet it was very hard to get in rooting for them. Just felt like stereotypes. Wanted to like this more.
January 9, 2023
What I enjoyed the most about this book was being inside the mind of Achen and Nyakale. I hung onto every word of their reflections around identity, belonging, purpose, love. It's written so eloquently and with so much intimacy. I personally enjoyed the loose threads and complexity of most of the sub-plots. They read like prompts to reflect on and which never left you with answers to some of the questions it raises. This book really does read like the beginning of a story.
August 12, 2021
An Image in a Mirror was initially a 4-star read for me.
However, it has since been oddly relevant in my life, so much that I often find myself relating some of the events I experience to a story in the book. This book has surprisingly grown on me.
Lastly, I must say this novel is brilliantly written and the story is capturing.
However, it has since been oddly relevant in my life, so much that I often find myself relating some of the events I experience to a story in the book. This book has surprisingly grown on me.
Lastly, I must say this novel is brilliantly written and the story is capturing.
March 21, 2024
It was interesting for me to read the book since I’ve been in both - Uganda and South Africa, interesting to recognize places, names, foods, enviroment,…
But still it was quite complicated to read due to languege.
But story overall interesting.
How two seperatelly grown sisters can be actually so similar.
But still it was quite complicated to read due to languege.
But story overall interesting.
How two seperatelly grown sisters can be actually so similar.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2021
I really struggled with the writing style of this book. I felt she was tackling too many things all at once which took away from the plot of the story sometimes. The ending felt like the start and I would have loved to find what happens after.
November 25, 2024
Th beginning of this book was incredible.
“Being a foreign national means being constantly on trial, or sitting cross legged across from your identity, negotiating who you are.”
But the last half was a struggle to read, anticlimactic, repetitive and read like a completely different genre.
“Being a foreign national means being constantly on trial, or sitting cross legged across from your identity, negotiating who you are.”
But the last half was a struggle to read, anticlimactic, repetitive and read like a completely different genre.
June 21, 2023
Really enjoyed it!!!
July 20, 2025
Not my normal read or one I would’ve chosen by intriguing and an insight to different cultures
November 2, 2024
3.8! Where has such a nice book been hiding? If insomnia didn't push me to keep digging through the library catalog, I would have missed it - to my detriment. Anyway, such a wonderful discovery! This book takes the twins separated at birth trope and uses it to weave a beautiful coming of age story that examines intra-African migration, the concept of home, the power of staying & leaving, and girl/womanhood among many others. It is also surprisingly thought-provoking, just creeps up on you as you keep reading!
What I found most fascinating about this book is the author's trust in her readers' background knowledge and comprehension skills. While it is a pretty straightforward thing, the way the narrative jumps around and doesn't dwell on exposition of topics that are consequential for the characters shows that the author trusts you to know about Uganda, South Africa and intra-African migration to an good enough extent to go beyond the surface level story! All this is to say, this is one of those books I love that are thematically written for Africans first and everyone else can try to understand as much as they can get.
That said, at times, I felt the transitions were too abrupt and the lack of set-up slightly jarring. To read it positively, as I did, is to say the author trusts you, but to read it negatively, is to say the author was trying to cram in too many things and thus failed to explore each topic in-depth or make smooth transitions.
Waiting for more books from this author! Not needed with such a good conclusion, but I wouldn't mind a sequel haha
P.S: co-read with ISBN: 9781004148721 audiobook. great narration!
What I found most fascinating about this book is the author's trust in her readers' background knowledge and comprehension skills. While it is a pretty straightforward thing, the way the narrative jumps around and doesn't dwell on exposition of topics that are consequential for the characters shows that the author trusts you to know about Uganda, South Africa and intra-African migration to an good enough extent to go beyond the surface level story! All this is to say, this is one of those books I love that are thematically written for Africans first and everyone else can try to understand as much as they can get.
That said, at times, I felt the transitions were too abrupt and the lack of set-up slightly jarring. To read it positively, as I did, is to say the author trusts you, but to read it negatively, is to say the author was trying to cram in too many things and thus failed to explore each topic in-depth or make smooth transitions.
Waiting for more books from this author! Not needed with such a good conclusion, but I wouldn't mind a sequel haha
P.S: co-read with ISBN: 9781004148721 audiobook. great narration!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews