THURSDAYS

by Jackson Biko

Vina Wira band. On the drums is a guy who also writes code. The lead singer is a gifted songstress redefining what society wants her to be. The bass guitarist and vocalist hides himself under an electric personality. That moody fellow at the back is the songwriter and a pianist, born to privilege but with darkness that can't fit in a travelling bag. The band is struggling. Every Thursday they play in the streets of Nairobi, outside a building that houses a recording label they hope will sign them, give them their big break. At night, they play in a shady bar overlooking a junkyard with dismembered vehicles. They are hungry to make it. But does the universe share their hunger?

Genres: Fiction, Kenya, Africa, African Literature

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 7, 2020

About the author

You will never find me standing in the middle of the room. I’m that guy who stalks the borders of a room. I belong in the darkened embrace of the shadows. The problem with standing in the middle of the room is that you become part of the narrative and there the power to tell the story of that room is perpetually stripped off you.

And so I’m the guy who relishes watching that narrative unspool from those borders of the room. Then capture it in words; the best seat in the room is where there are no seats.

I love music, food, travel, children (even those that don’t belong to me), clothes, cars, gadgets, whiskey and watching someone hula-hoop. There is something defeatist about that thing, like a dog trying to bite its own tail. But more than loving all the aforementioned, I love to write about these things.

However, am I an authority on any of these things? Hardly. But I have an opinion. And I prefer to share it. Let’s agree that you have your own and it might not be compatible with mine, but let’s agree that we can at least be civilised about it. I think the universe demands that of us.

My name is Jackson Biko. I’m a writer with the Business Daily, True Love magazine and The Saturday Nation. I also edit Msafiri Magazine, Safaricom Foundation’s Msingi Magazine and a scattering of other writing jobs that keep writers like me afloat.

Welcome to my world, to my room, but it’s not really mine when you occupy the middle of it, is it?

Reviews

[George Ciuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read

[Faree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book so bad but ultimately that was not the case. The idea of mental health behind the book is great but unfortunately it did not deliver for me.
The plot while not terrible it was dry ,the narrative really monotone and the writing too flowery for me. I struggled through the first few pages and would have dnfed earlier on if I wasn’t reading it for a readathon.

[De Fidem · Rating 5 out of 5]

A haunting book. The writer has this sinister capacity to bring you sorrow clothed in humour. The delivery of gut wrenching fiction in a way that compels the reader to take a break from the pain.

In sum; A beautiful tale full of fun and sorrow. A yarn of tragic woe spun by a master humourist who finds guffaws in tragic circumstance.

[Nicole Jean-Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had really big expectations for this book, especially cause I love the authors blog and newspaper articles..but boy was I disappointed. It ended so badly!!!

[Samuel Chege · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book does shows how difficult it is for people, even the closest ones to understand mental illness. What exactly then does one need to do to help out? Clearly, Thando tried a lot but eventually never got through Mwendwa, sadly.
And then about the ending, it was unexpected, really. The end of any book is the most important part because it's what stays with you long after. It seems the tragedy (Mwendwa's) and the breakup of the band leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one from Bikozulu. A clear depiction of the modern Kenyan life with the struggles of the young generation. Mental health is at the core of the book. A must read

[Ashley Muthaka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I expected so much more from this book, it only began to pick for me towards the end.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am unsure about whether I love or hate this book.

The writer does a lot of things I *hate* in books: Stories written in present tense; Extravagant use of the types of similies that only Jackson Biko could use (funny, yes, but at the same time, it drags you out of the story to remind you that you're not actually in the world that's been created, you are reading a Jackson Biko story); overly flowery writing; equal emphasis on all characters, even those who do not forward the story; simple factual errors (like please, when did MTV last play music videos?) and Jared has never once complained about carrying a drumkit around, he never even mentions it. Also, where is the photo of the ponytail palm we were promised on page 219?

So, I read the first couple of chapters mentally preparing the scathing review I was going to leave (Great building of atmosphere, and wonderful character development, but the story isn't going anywhere and is riddled with lots of inaccuracies about being in a band). However, somewhere along the way the story swerved and I discovered the blurb at the back is not what the story is about. And once I was done, I found the characters still lingered in my head.

Small powerful book, and I'll be looking out for Biko's other books.

7/10

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always nice reading a book that you can relate to the characters and places. Biko introduces us to the characters and their lives and dives into the serious issue of mental health. It shows how even in our daily relationships, few people are able to break through into our deepest thoughts and understand us. "We all carry something dirty in us". I didn't like the ending though, because I felt that is really when the story was starting to pick. Then Boom!!. Nice read.

[Caia_In_Wonderland · Rating 4 out of 5]

That open ending killed me a bit, but it was such a great read, very character driven—with deep insight into the lives of the members of a wannabe be famous band, all with their own private struggles, and their lives in Kenya.
From love, virginity, religion, depression, shame, acceptance, to suicide, a little of everything plays a part in their stories.
Definitely recommend for those that love a good contemporary fic and can deal with an open ending.

[Ruth Thiongo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was waiting for this book to disappoint. Purely out of the fact that I really struggled with Drunk. However Biko has redeemed himself on this one. Just a trigger warning on how he brings out mental health issues of one of the characters might be disturbing or trigger some people. Overall great book.

[Corrie Mwende · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading a book where you connect with the characters and places visited (or lived-as is the case with Thursdays) is refreshing. I chuckled as I flipped through the pages but what was that ending?

Biko is brilliantly creative. He has wit with his words and knows how to bring a story to life. I have read Drunk, but I would pick Thursdays over Drunk.

This was worth my time!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

[Mbogo J · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is should come as no surprise that I am an avid reader of Biko's blog where everything is a story. I even have email alerts when a new story is out but here is the kicker, I normally wait for a day or two before I read the story. That way I get the double scoop of reading the actual story and the comments after enough people have interacted with them enough to weed out the wheat from the chaff of first to comment and there are some top grains there. Shout out to Tushy, Cliff the tall, Weshy , Kambura and all of you who comment on Biko's stories. You are the sixth man on the court.

As you can see, it was a question of when not if I would read this book.

I really like Biko's writing, mostly because he makes me laugh, that he is a good story teller is an added bonus. This are real Kenyan stories told by one of our own not those tropes you read in magazines written by someone who flew in last night and talked to a few cab drivers and some professional talking heads. Real stories about real people told how they occurred, not to serve some NGO agenda that is in need of contribution. I digress. This is an awesome book. It's short, you can finish it in afternoon but I would advise against that. Give it two or three days, travel with the characters, dream about them. It tackles some normally skirted topics but I didn't know it was a black comedy. Think of it like some variant of a Bojack Horseman episode, like if Biko had to written an episode this book will be the full book adaptation.

May be am not an impartial reviewer here [I dont think those exist] but here is a story that Biko tells of how he wrote the book and some few excerpts. The book is also available on Amazon here. Check it out and grab some laughs, and also you know see how mental illness, life and those other serious topics were tackled.

[Mariam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am an avid fan of Jackson Biko's and thoroughly enjoy his shorter pieces. Which is to say I really really wanted to enjoy this book but I didn't... despite the verbose descriptiveness of them, I just didn't end up caring for any of the characters. The narrative started to pick up speed towards the end and then the ending itself was quite abrupt and dissatisfying.

[June Chenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book filled with really beautiful sentences you want to gobble up for dinner and paragraphs you wish you hadn't read before bacause then you can't feel as surreal as you felt reading them the first time.

[Muthoni Munyambu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really struggled through the first 100 pages. Then it got easier. It's a small book, so I read it in one sitting. The ending though??? Felt very rushed to me.

[BLA · Rating 4 out of 5]

"you do what you have to do then you fuck off no matter the outcome"

[siff · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is joy unparalleled and then there is reading a book set in one’s country.

Thursdays is centered around a struggling/upcoming band; not sure which of the two most aptly describes the state it is in. They are hungry, ravenous, for success. Every Thursday evening, they sing at a bar with barely any customers. This is after spending their morning singing in the street with hopes that a man of means, will notice their talent and idiosyncratic music style and invest toward their journey toward mainstream recognition.

Biko uses this structured trope as a conduit through which he explores the aspects of mental health, traumas festering from abandonment in childhood, the inevitable crisis each and every one faces, the struggle to choose between one’s dream – which rarely anyone holds in high regard but you, and conformity, to employment, formal education and security - key tenants of a painfully comfortable life.

It was very easy, as a reader, to empathize with the characters, their overarching obscurity. At the surface, this is a result of their existence within a culture that doesn’t place much value on the arts as a credible source of living. The frustration was palpable when previously agreed upon terms were twisted to their detriment each time they performed. A look deeper reveals that the characters’ obscurity was as a result of mental health challenges. Biko was able to adequately address the stigma, nuances and often misunderstood elements that come with mental health struggles.

While the ending felt downright unfair considering how much I had invested emotionally, it opened my eyes to a bigger and often difficult conversation; how to love someone when their mental health struggles are affecting your personal life.

[Princess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first became familiar with Biko through his blog, so I was curious to read this. His style is compulsively readable and reminiscent - to me - of Ernest Bazanye, the Ugandan journalist who captured the imagination of so many of us would-be writers of a certain generation.

Biko's style, like Bazanye's, builds off of sharp observations and comedic turns of phrase. It feels incredibly familiar and conversational, almost like listening to a friend who is a particularly good (and natural) storyteller. Yet, because of this, I felt myself resisting the pull of the book because it didn't feel quite "serious" or "literary." I can't even quite articulate how I wanted the book to make me feel. But I do know that even now, seconds after finishing it in the space of a few hours, that it has moved me, just in an unexpected way. This is a style that is both familiar and new and perhaps because of that, I need to approach it with different lenses.

What makes a book/a work "serious"? For me, the answer is in whether it shifts my mood, absorbs me into its world, changes how I think, or perceive certain things. This book didn't quite change my life. But the sharp observations reminded me of the delight of taking notice of the things around me, about being curious about other people and what lingers beneath the surface. Isn't this what life is about, taking notice and finding new things to delight in?

And now I'm rambling without saying a thing about this book about a rag-tag band that wants to make it big. Perhaps I should let the book simmer a bit in my subconscious before attempting to review it...

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thursday by Jackson Biko was my first introduction to his writing, and now I get why people say you need to read a few of his books to really place him. His vibe here feels like humor woven into pockets of introspection — character-driven and a little too real in the way Nairobi creatives move through life together but alone.
The story follows Vinawira, a band trying to make it in Nairobi while juggling big dreams, complicated pasts, and a city that’s both chaotic and full of possibility. Biko captures that hustle so well — how your friends can be your lifeline and your downfall, how you can share the same goal but exist in completely different worlds.
What I like the most was how sharply the book explored depression without naming it. That quiet ache of being surrounded by people who love you but still feeling unseen. The way someone’s comfort or privilege gets mistaken for emotional stability. The way friends think “he can’t be depressed; he’s fine” and miss what’s right in front of them. That theme lingered long after the last page.
And even in such a short book, you end up rooting for these characters — for who they are, who they were, and who they’re trying to be. Their flaws feel intentional, even when some moments leaned into moral judgment. I definitely want to read more of Biko’s work — and more East African authors in general — to get a fuller sense of his lens.
This was a fast read, but the questions it raises about friendship, mental health, and finding yourself linger far longer.

There were several elements that I didn't quite resonate with, holding off reflecting on these till I read another of his books.

[Aj · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some stories that only Biko can tell the way they are supposed to be told. I have wanted to indulge in books by African authors, that while also dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t and this has been a beautiful start. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly took myself to tbc and sat down to read it. I don't remember what I expected it to be, but it turned out quite different.I love Biko’s writing so much. Being an avid reader of his blog, (Oh how I look forward to Tuesdays) it was only a question of when to read his books. Biko is a good storyteller, and I’ve always loved his art. His writing style is so easy to follow, that I knew, but my mind was still blown away. Thursdays is a small book, easy to read even in one sitting.

He tackles the subject of struggling artists and with a brush of mental health. It’s about a music band, vina wira, who play every Thursday and their hunger to make it. It is a crucial portrayal of the difficulties artists, especially the youth face in the modern kenyan life every single day. It represents a broad expression of how everyday situations can become the scenes of soft calamities, with a realistic delivery packed with emotion. It gradually becomes real with an unpredictable twist towards the end.

So I promised myself not to give many spoilers, not to say too much because how I love Biko, he’d write of a pen and I’d still run to buy the book. He’s my everyday cup of tea. In fact, it’s a possibility that I could marry the person that signs me up for his masterclass. No, I’m not kidding.

It didn’t have me sitting at the edge of my chair, but overall a masterpiece and I can’t wait to get my hands on Drunk.

[Resolute Scribbles by Khanani · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Your type thinks being born in the city and not knowing where you are from is an honor. That you don’t have a village, as if you are an American. That not knowing your mother-tongue is cool… I’m attacking what you represent… the idea that you are a product of the city of modernism… you refuse to accept that you are part of a society that can be traced to a root.”

Excerpt from Thursdays by Jackson Biko.

I started reading Thursdays on recommendation from friends that it was a light read. At first, it was. Delving into the every day life of artists, as they thought of themselves. A group or people who came together to pursue a dream in music on the streets of Nairobi. I related with their story because I’ve seen first hand, what it means to be in a band trying to break through.

But the more I read, the more I empathized with the characters. JP and Mwendwa, both with a past, both grappling with a sense of belonging, both seeking satisfaction in their craft.

The ending wasn’t a happy one. Loss. Loss of dreams once held, loss of love once felt, and loss of self.

I have to give it to Jackson though, his writing had me gripped.

I’d recommend it.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Drunk, we understood right from the beginning what we were expecting from the story. However in Thursdays, Biko gives us a group of characters each with their own backstory and goals centered around music. I half expected the entire story to take place in the bar that Vira Wina played at every Thursday.
The beauty in Niko's writing is he makes it so that you want each character to succeed and get invested in their journey towards whatever their interpretation of success is even when you can see that the character is heading for self destruction.

If you're not familiar with his writing you may feel cheated in that you don't get closure. However he leaves you to fill in the blanks in which ever way you see fit.

It's a great quick read that addresses heavy issues with the usual dry and relatable humour I have come to enjoy from Jackson Biko.

[Kossia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started a bit slow for me. Although, it took a bit of time for me to get into the story and to get used to the writing style, it didn't last long. A very deep and emotional book on mental health, and how insidious it is, the burden of it on every day life, the perception of it, and how it can go unnoticed until the point of no return. Besides mental health, it delved into themes like identity, dreams, and made me really think about those concepts. Plus, I loved the writing! How is it possible to be funny and still be able to treat of such heavy subjects ? I am so delighted to have found an author that I will surely and definitely read again and very excited to put "Thursdays" on my "best books" of this year list (this year is a challenge reading-wise; finding gems like this make me do a happy dance -:))

[Kendi Juma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thursdays is a book for people who love Nairobi. It is about a band, Vina Wira, struggling to navigate the music scene in Nairobi. This is the first book I am reading by Jackson Biko. The book gives you a glimpse of Nairobi, from the living arrangement between JP and Mwendwa, which many young people trying to find their place in the big city city can relate to, to mental health issues, and relationships. I found the first 30 pages captivating, especially the way he builds the different characters. The middle was a bit difficult to get through, a little too flowery for my liking. While some people do not like an abrupt ending, I found it artistic, and ok for a book as small as Thursdays. It was an OK book in general. I’m keen to read Drunk, his first book.

[Alvaro Perez-Quintero · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little book about music and failure.

The stories of the different members of an 'African blues' band in Nairobi that's hoping for their big break while playing to an empty bar every thursday. It's a nice portrait of modern Kenyan life. You get some snippets of the life of each member of the band, some are more fleshed out than others, and towards the end it focuses mostly on one of the members who's battling deppression and the book deflates a bit.

Music for this book:
Sorry for the delay - Just A Band

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"This is Kenya, after all, you know something until you don't"

"There is nothing as sad as singing to chairs."

"Oh, hi, Jared. we were just talking about you."

[Mrs Mangoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jackson Biko's writing has always been stellar and this book is no different. It hit the spot in terms of storyline and I could relate so much with the characters.

Mwendwa was a character that honestly I felt akin to. I liked how he wrote his darkness and pain so effectively. At some point it felt like those were my own feelings and that's difficult for may writes to do.

Its one of those books that deserves how it ended and I don't want or need to know what happens next.

Can't wait to read more stories from him. I wish he would compile stories from his blog bikozulu into a book because I would love to read them!

10/10 would recommend!

[Sunny Side · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could read Jackson Biko's work any day. I've read many of his blogs but this was my first experience with his book.
My favorite thing about the book is that I couldn't tell how it would end or where the author was going with the story. I haven't read a book like that in a very long time. Just being able to let go and allow the author to tell you this story that gets you invested in the lives of each character, priceless!!
The book covers a number of issues while narrating the story of "Vina Wira Band"- Mental health, identity, parent-child relationships, childhood trauma among others.

I genuinely enjoyed this book!

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick read. Interesting for the most part, but predictable and tropey in others. I liked it, mainly because the occasionally interesting character arcs, but some of the overly detailed descriptions and callbacks felt perfunctory, especially considering how compact the book is.
That said, Vina Wira's totally not Afro-fusion mix of blues and African music sounds like it would have been a great listen.

[Essy_m · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't decide if I absolutely loved this book or downright hated it because of it's ending but I have to say; I respect the hell out of Biko and perhaps fell in love with his writing because he managed to take me to the highest of highs with hopes and promises only to push me down the cliff!!

I mean, what happened to happy endings? But I guess that is life. It's all hopes and dreams then shit happens and you just have to deal with it.