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Seasons in Hippoland
An enchanting novel of magical realism from a new voice, Kenyan author Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ.
Victoriana is a country ruled by an Emperor-for-Life who is dying from an illness not officially acknowledged in a land where truth and facts are decided by the Emperor. The elite goes along with the charade. Their children are conditioned to conform. It is a land of truthful lies, where reality has uncertain meaning.
Mumbi, a rebellious child from the capital of Westville, and her brother are sent to live in rural Hippoland. But what was meant to be a punishment turns out to be a glorious discovery of the magic of the land, best captured in the stories their eccentric aunt Sara tells them. Most captivating to the children is the tale of a porcelain bowl supposed to possess healing powers. Returning to Westville as an adult, Mumbi spreads the story throughout the city and to the entire country. Exhausted by years of endless bleak lies, the people are fascinated by the mystery of the porcelain bowl. When word of its healing powers reaches the Emperor himself, he commands Mumbi to find it for him—with dramatic consequences for everyone in Victoriana.
Captivating and enchanting, Seasons in Hippoland plays with the tradition of magic realism. Every image in this novel is a story, and every story is a call for resistance to anyone who tries to confine our imagination or corrupt our humanity.
Victoriana is a country ruled by an Emperor-for-Life who is dying from an illness not officially acknowledged in a land where truth and facts are decided by the Emperor. The elite goes along with the charade. Their children are conditioned to conform. It is a land of truthful lies, where reality has uncertain meaning.
Mumbi, a rebellious child from the capital of Westville, and her brother are sent to live in rural Hippoland. But what was meant to be a punishment turns out to be a glorious discovery of the magic of the land, best captured in the stories their eccentric aunt Sara tells them. Most captivating to the children is the tale of a porcelain bowl supposed to possess healing powers. Returning to Westville as an adult, Mumbi spreads the story throughout the city and to the entire country. Exhausted by years of endless bleak lies, the people are fascinated by the mystery of the porcelain bowl. When word of its healing powers reaches the Emperor himself, he commands Mumbi to find it for him—with dramatic consequences for everyone in Victoriana.
Captivating and enchanting, Seasons in Hippoland plays with the tradition of magic realism. Every image in this novel is a story, and every story is a call for resistance to anyone who tries to confine our imagination or corrupt our humanity.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published December 6, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 21, 2022
It's me. Hi. I'm the problem, it's me.
I read this book back in February, but it's taken me until December to put some notes down. One of my shortcomings as a reader is selecting books based on one set of criteria, and then reacting to them based on another set of considerations. Take Seasons in Hippoland. I read it in an effort to expand my knowledge of contemporary fiction from African writers, and Kenyan writers in particular. The book didn't work for me for a myriad reasons - 3 stars is generous - but, frankly, that's based on my reaction as a US-based reader with an admittedly weak grasp of contemporary Kenyan fiction. Seagull bills this as magical realism, but I found that to be a mislabel. Is it because I'm more accustomed to magical realism of the Latin American variety, as appropriated by US writers? How does this book fit within the context of East African storytelling? I have no idea.
I read this book back in February, but it's taken me until December to put some notes down. One of my shortcomings as a reader is selecting books based on one set of criteria, and then reacting to them based on another set of considerations. Take Seasons in Hippoland. I read it in an effort to expand my knowledge of contemporary fiction from African writers, and Kenyan writers in particular. The book didn't work for me for a myriad reasons - 3 stars is generous - but, frankly, that's based on my reaction as a US-based reader with an admittedly weak grasp of contemporary Kenyan fiction. Seagull bills this as magical realism, but I found that to be a mislabel. Is it because I'm more accustomed to magical realism of the Latin American variety, as appropriated by US writers? How does this book fit within the context of East African storytelling? I have no idea.
June 19, 2022
No.
Just no.
Just no.
July 17, 2024
A strong and lovely parable about the importance of storytelling and hope in the face of tyranny. And a love letter to a beautiful homeland and strong women.
Read
March 11, 20223.5*
June 21, 2022
I saw that this book was describes as a "dreamlike coming-of-age novel", and I would totally agree.
I was confused and swept up in the beautiful writing. It took me a while to read, but every time I picked up again, I was easily immersed in the story.
My biggest disappointment was that there weren't more hippos lol
I was confused and swept up in the beautiful writing. It took me a while to read, but every time I picked up again, I was easily immersed in the story.
My biggest disappointment was that there weren't more hippos lol
February 16, 2022
Sweet little book of magical realism. I grabbed this book at my local library because the cover was so interesting. It was cute and I found the story overall well developed. Although it’s not my normal kind of book, it was a nice change:)
September 13, 2022
Beautiful and soft, with sharp edges. I wrote about it here: https://booksandbakes.substack.com/i/...
April 13, 2025
3.5 *
Lo que más me gustó de la novela fueron las descripciones y la ambientación. La cocina sonaba viva y todo el tiempo era muy fácil imaginar los platillos descritos: las patatas rostizadas, carne bañada en yogur de cabra, guisantes y maíz bien condimentados y distintos platillos al piri-piri. La combinación gastronómica que más me llamó la atención fue la de tamarindo con chile, ya que es algo muy usual en México también. Gracias a esta novela escuché por primera vez música lingala y me agradó bastante.
En cuanto a la historia, los puntos que hace me parecen buenos e importantes. Sí, como dice la sinopsis, se trata sobre el valor de las historias para enfrentar la opresión. En este aspecto, hace hincapié en el punto sobre la censura y el valor de la tradición oral para escapar de la imposición de una única verdad. En este sentido, me recordó a la potente imagen de Fahrenheit 451 donde al final cada uno de los personajes representaba un libro al haberlo aprendido de memoria. Aquí, en cambio, se trata de una memoria colectiva a través justamente de la tradición oral. Ese punto me gustó mucho porque justamente en muchas naciones de África la literatura se ha dado a través de ese medio (sin olvidar por supuesto que también en Occidente ha sido así, empezando por Homero) y aquí se pone como eje central de la historia esa idea.
Sin embargo, lo que no me agradó es que siento que se comenta más acerca de la importancia de esas historias mucho más allá que una muestra de cómo son. Durante toda la trama se mencionan los puntos principales de esas historias pero no se desarrollan mucho, en varias ocasiones se repite el argumento de las mismas, sin hacer un mayor desarrollo de los personajes que ahí figuran. Siento que en esas mismas historias había una oportunidad de mostrar mucho mejor las situaciones, los sentimientos y el drama humano que genera estar sometido a una dictadura. Hay imágenes potentes como un “portafolio de deseos extraños” o museos de espíritus ocultos que me parece podrían dar para mucho si fueran más desarrolladas, pero se quedan en esbozos o falsos arranques.
El punto que más me agradó hecho en el libro fue ver cómo, después de que los colonizadores fueran expulsados, siguió un gobierno totalitario y se muestra cómo la militarización y las tácticas de opresión no cambiaron realmente. El único cambio fue el color de los gorros de los soldados. Lamentablemente esta es una historia muy común universalmente y además en África parece ser que se ha repetido mucho en el último siglo.
A pesar de senti que al libro le faltó un poco más de desarrollo para ilustrar mejor los puntos que hace, me dejó con ganas de seguirme adentrando en otras novelas similares. Por eso y por la vivacidad que tiene al describir comida, danza y música creo que fue una buena lectura.
Lo que más me gustó de la novela fueron las descripciones y la ambientación. La cocina sonaba viva y todo el tiempo era muy fácil imaginar los platillos descritos: las patatas rostizadas, carne bañada en yogur de cabra, guisantes y maíz bien condimentados y distintos platillos al piri-piri. La combinación gastronómica que más me llamó la atención fue la de tamarindo con chile, ya que es algo muy usual en México también. Gracias a esta novela escuché por primera vez música lingala y me agradó bastante.
En cuanto a la historia, los puntos que hace me parecen buenos e importantes. Sí, como dice la sinopsis, se trata sobre el valor de las historias para enfrentar la opresión. En este aspecto, hace hincapié en el punto sobre la censura y el valor de la tradición oral para escapar de la imposición de una única verdad. En este sentido, me recordó a la potente imagen de Fahrenheit 451 donde al final cada uno de los personajes representaba un libro al haberlo aprendido de memoria. Aquí, en cambio, se trata de una memoria colectiva a través justamente de la tradición oral. Ese punto me gustó mucho porque justamente en muchas naciones de África la literatura se ha dado a través de ese medio (sin olvidar por supuesto que también en Occidente ha sido así, empezando por Homero) y aquí se pone como eje central de la historia esa idea.
Sin embargo, lo que no me agradó es que siento que se comenta más acerca de la importancia de esas historias mucho más allá que una muestra de cómo son. Durante toda la trama se mencionan los puntos principales de esas historias pero no se desarrollan mucho, en varias ocasiones se repite el argumento de las mismas, sin hacer un mayor desarrollo de los personajes que ahí figuran. Siento que en esas mismas historias había una oportunidad de mostrar mucho mejor las situaciones, los sentimientos y el drama humano que genera estar sometido a una dictadura. Hay imágenes potentes como un “portafolio de deseos extraños” o museos de espíritus ocultos que me parece podrían dar para mucho si fueran más desarrolladas, pero se quedan en esbozos o falsos arranques.
El punto que más me agradó hecho en el libro fue ver cómo, después de que los colonizadores fueran expulsados, siguió un gobierno totalitario y se muestra cómo la militarización y las tácticas de opresión no cambiaron realmente. El único cambio fue el color de los gorros de los soldados. Lamentablemente esta es una historia muy común universalmente y además en África parece ser que se ha repetido mucho en el último siglo.
A pesar de senti que al libro le faltó un poco más de desarrollo para ilustrar mejor los puntos que hace, me dejó con ganas de seguirme adentrando en otras novelas similares. Por eso y por la vivacidad que tiene al describir comida, danza y música creo que fue una buena lectura.
April 11, 2024
3.9 stars
December 29, 2021
This short fable-like novel takes place in Victoriana, a fictional East African nation. After ousting their colonial rulers, the country is now in the grip of a dictatorial Emperor and his oppressive regime. Mumbi, rebellious daughter of two lawyers, and her brother Mito are sent by their parents to spend a season each year in the countryside with their Aunt Sara. Sara is a gifted storyteller and her tales reveal the truth about the pasts of Victoriana, Mumbi's parents, and Sara herself. But stories can be dangerous, especially under a repressive regime.
Seasons in Hippoland was an interesting and engaging read. Also a timely one, considering the way it illuminates life under an oppressive dictatorship. I really enjoyed the way wa Ngũgĩ deftly explores the way stories provide a way of creating hope and resistance in the face of oppression.
Seasons in Hippoland was an interesting and engaging read. Also a timely one, considering the way it illuminates life under an oppressive dictatorship. I really enjoyed the way wa Ngũgĩ deftly explores the way stories provide a way of creating hope and resistance in the face of oppression.
February 25, 2023
This was a beautiful book. I'm pretty sure it's one that will stick around and randomly show up on my thoughts for quite awhile.
March 18, 2023
Seasons in Hippoland was a serendipitous loan from a Bayside Library display. It has an arresting title, a moody cover image and an author name that I (sort of) recognised...
Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ is the daughter of Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (whose books I have reviewed here). She was born in Kenya, educated in the US and has lived and worked in Eritrea, Zimbabwe and Finland. Wikipedia tells me that her CV includes journalism and editorial work as well as founding and directing the Helsinki African Film Festival. Her writing includes her debut novel The Fall of Saints (2014) and contributing to anthologies such as New Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent (2019); and short stories in Akashic Books' Noir Series: Houston Noir (2019) and Nairobi Noir (2020). If her second novel Seasons in Hippoland (2021) is anything to go by, literary talent runs in families. (Her brother Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ is also a writer.)
Seasons in Hippoland begins with Mumbi as a sulky adolescent, sent to stay with her Aunt Sara because her parents are anxious about her rebellious behaviour. The irony is that both her parents and Aunt Sara were rebels themselves, but they were fighting for a political cause not for the right to party and smoke dope. Mumbi is furious about being banished to the countryside:
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/03/18/s...
Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ is the daughter of Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (whose books I have reviewed here). She was born in Kenya, educated in the US and has lived and worked in Eritrea, Zimbabwe and Finland. Wikipedia tells me that her CV includes journalism and editorial work as well as founding and directing the Helsinki African Film Festival. Her writing includes her debut novel The Fall of Saints (2014) and contributing to anthologies such as New Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent (2019); and short stories in Akashic Books' Noir Series: Houston Noir (2019) and Nairobi Noir (2020). If her second novel Seasons in Hippoland (2021) is anything to go by, literary talent runs in families. (Her brother Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ is also a writer.)
Seasons in Hippoland begins with Mumbi as a sulky adolescent, sent to stay with her Aunt Sara because her parents are anxious about her rebellious behaviour. The irony is that both her parents and Aunt Sara were rebels themselves, but they were fighting for a political cause not for the right to party and smoke dope. Mumbi is furious about being banished to the countryside:
I thought of the friends I was leaving behind and my heart plummeted again. I wanted to be in their shoes, chasing each other on the streets or fighting over popcorn while they waited in line to watch the American super-stars whose names and life events bounced off our mouths like poetry. There was also the possibility of meeting Soul Dreamers, a Westville a cappella group we'd only so far seen on TV. My friends and I had divided up the members among ourselves. For marriage that is. We so desperately hoped to bump into them somewhere, and constantly wagered with each other as to who would be the lucky first to do so. My rural banishment would no doubt give them a huge advantage in this matter. (p.11)
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/03/18/s...
November 21, 2022
This book caught my attention at a local library because of its title and cover; the teaser summary made it sound like a blend of real life and fairy tale or fable, and that convinced me to read it. I am glad for it because it was an interesting read, but this is possibly one of the most misleading cover blurbs I have read; it projects a completely different trajectory to the story than actually exists, and suggests a centrality to characters and events that is not accurate.
This story is a bit like a fable, an excoriation of the impact of colonial rule and post-colonial governmental corruption in a fictitious East African nation that I suspect is modeled primarily on Kenya, though I believe it is meant to be broadly applicable to the experience of colonized African nations. I don't think it is really a magical realist story, since nothing overtly fantastic happens. It has a dreamlike quality at times, but that is fitting with the focus on storytelling, and the age of the narrator (13-16 for the bulk of the book). All of the appearances by hippos, or of supernatural seeming events are clearly implied to be dreams or vivid imaginings.
The one main critique I have is that the tense wanders awkwardly at times between past and present. I suppose it could be a deliberate stylistic choice, but it feels a bit more like an error with translation or editing and is often a bit distracting.
This story is a bit like a fable, an excoriation of the impact of colonial rule and post-colonial governmental corruption in a fictitious East African nation that I suspect is modeled primarily on Kenya, though I believe it is meant to be broadly applicable to the experience of colonized African nations. I don't think it is really a magical realist story, since nothing overtly fantastic happens. It has a dreamlike quality at times, but that is fitting with the focus on storytelling, and the age of the narrator (13-16 for the bulk of the book). All of the appearances by hippos, or of supernatural seeming events are clearly implied to be dreams or vivid imaginings.
The one main critique I have is that the tense wanders awkwardly at times between past and present. I suppose it could be a deliberate stylistic choice, but it feels a bit more like an error with translation or editing and is often a bit distracting.
April 17, 2025
I blazed through this book! The writing was very accessible; quick, direct, and beautiful without relying heavily on flowery prose.
It's a story about Mumbi and her Aunt Sara and stories, but really it's about how people become stories and stories become hope. I do think if I knew more about western colonization in Africa, this would have landed even harder for me, but regardless of that, it's a timeless meditation on the power of stories to move people to hope and action against regimes that would dictate a narrative to control its people and land. As the front flap says, every image in this book is a story. It would be a GREAT book club or class read, as there is a lot of symbolism, history, and culture to discuss. The importance of food. What the hippos or the bowl or the fig tree represent. How Mumbi's relationship with law, her parents, Hippoland change over time. Methods of control and suppression versus the tools of social change and activism. Such a small book packs such a punch, but it does it in the gentlest way; less a forceful, blunt contact between the point and your brain, and more the story gently holding your hand and leading you to the water's edge to dip your feet in.
It's a story about Mumbi and her Aunt Sara and stories, but really it's about how people become stories and stories become hope. I do think if I knew more about western colonization in Africa, this would have landed even harder for me, but regardless of that, it's a timeless meditation on the power of stories to move people to hope and action against regimes that would dictate a narrative to control its people and land. As the front flap says, every image in this book is a story. It would be a GREAT book club or class read, as there is a lot of symbolism, history, and culture to discuss. The importance of food. What the hippos or the bowl or the fig tree represent. How Mumbi's relationship with law, her parents, Hippoland change over time. Methods of control and suppression versus the tools of social change and activism. Such a small book packs such a punch, but it does it in the gentlest way; less a forceful, blunt contact between the point and your brain, and more the story gently holding your hand and leading you to the water's edge to dip your feet in.
March 16, 2022
"On the dance floor, she could clear her head and then her lungs from the effects of the tear gas. On the dance floor, she felt a power that could free those arrested at protest marches and thrown into prisons across the country. On the dance floor, she could walk to Londonshire and shut down the factories that imprisoned people in a cycle of endless shifts. On the dance floor, she could be the government. She could travel the world. She could see and smell and touch and become many things. She could weave stories, then weave dreams into those stories."
Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ's Seasons in Hippoland was one of my highly anticipated books for 2021 and now I could finally get my hands on the novel. If you wonder if you should pick it up (I mean cover and title alone are so enticing!) I recommend NOT reading the synopsis on the book cover. It reads as if someone has written it who was told the content of the book by someone who was told the content of the book by someone who has actually read it: it gives way too much detail but also with strange emphasises and some things are just slightly off...
Instead let me tell you: Seasons in Hippoland is set in the fictional East African country Victoriana which is ruled by the Emperor for Life. After a small incident at her school, teenage girl Mumbi together with her younger brother Mito is send for a month to the rural area called Hippoland. Instead of spending school break in the big city with their friends they are supposed to stay with aunt Sara (an aunt they didn't even know existed before - and how exactly does she relate to the family?). What first looks like a mean punishement turns out to be a slowly life changing experience.
Seasons in Hippoland is a novel about resistance, storytelling, and hope. It's poetic in sentiment but also a peculiar, wonderful page turner. This novel took me by surprise by how much I loved it (which I know sounds strange having said that I did anticipate it highly) but it just struck a chord with me on an emotional level I did not see coming.
Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ's Seasons in Hippoland was one of my highly anticipated books for 2021 and now I could finally get my hands on the novel. If you wonder if you should pick it up (I mean cover and title alone are so enticing!) I recommend NOT reading the synopsis on the book cover. It reads as if someone has written it who was told the content of the book by someone who was told the content of the book by someone who has actually read it: it gives way too much detail but also with strange emphasises and some things are just slightly off...
Instead let me tell you: Seasons in Hippoland is set in the fictional East African country Victoriana which is ruled by the Emperor for Life. After a small incident at her school, teenage girl Mumbi together with her younger brother Mito is send for a month to the rural area called Hippoland. Instead of spending school break in the big city with their friends they are supposed to stay with aunt Sara (an aunt they didn't even know existed before - and how exactly does she relate to the family?). What first looks like a mean punishement turns out to be a slowly life changing experience.
Seasons in Hippoland is a novel about resistance, storytelling, and hope. It's poetic in sentiment but also a peculiar, wonderful page turner. This novel took me by surprise by how much I loved it (which I know sounds strange having said that I did anticipate it highly) but it just struck a chord with me on an emotional level I did not see coming.
February 18, 2022
An oddly surreal novel where time is seemingly fluid as a girl learns about her family from a friend of the family known as Aunt Sara. The East African culture of storytelling drives the plot as young Mumbi grows from a resentful teen to an adult understanding the purpose and power of words.
At times the fractured timeline of moving from past to present is distracting; however, it creates a layer of magical realism as Mumbi suffers the injustice of sharing hope among the oppressed people of her land.
At times the fractured timeline of moving from past to present is distracting; however, it creates a layer of magical realism as Mumbi suffers the injustice of sharing hope among the oppressed people of her land.
December 27, 2021
Mumbi experiences childhood in Victoriana, a nation populated by political dissidents and commanders and mistreated by a progression of men in vivid berets. Her folks are accomplices at the House of Lawyers. She goes to Catholic school in Westville, the capital city, where "government pastors zoom… by in Mercedes-Benz cars, neglectful of the potholes."read full review on https://skatetownguide.com/ this amazing book.
March 4, 2024
Not me picking out this book bc the author and I are namesakes! But this was a powerful short story on the impact of storytelling during resistance against colonialism in Kenya. The book was well-paced, and by centering itself in storytelling it resembles recountings that are central to most tribal Kenyan cultures.
November 3, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
I liked the way authoritarianism is portrayed as the main character grows up, slowly being revealed as more and more sinister. I did not like how slow the beginning was. It truly felt like a slog to get through, while the last 10 or so chapters felt like I was speeding through the story with how interesting they were.
I liked the way authoritarianism is portrayed as the main character grows up, slowly being revealed as more and more sinister. I did not like how slow the beginning was. It truly felt like a slog to get through, while the last 10 or so chapters felt like I was speeding through the story with how interesting they were.
June 28, 2022
I loved it! Beautiful coming of age novel about hope, revolution, and story telling. If you love books and stories, you'll understand exactly what Mumbi means.
Dreamy and magical, this story is a maze through memory, and perfect for anyone who enjoy character driven works!
Dreamy and magical, this story is a maze through memory, and perfect for anyone who enjoy character driven works!
December 28, 2021
This was a beautifully spun allegory about the power of stories and ideas over the might of tyranny. It reads like a children's book, but it is far from that.
April 2, 2022
thoughts coming shortly
Read
October 18, 2022DNF @34% Way too slow paced. I had to read the blurb twice in the first quarter of the book to remember what made me pick it up in the first place.
November 15, 2022
Well-written and inspiring narrative about the power of storytelling, especially under regimes of terror. The magical realism could've come out a bit more, but five stars nonetheless!
Read
November 13, 2023more than anything, this book shows how important stories are and how much power they hold
September 18, 2024
It was okay, but could have been great. First half is better. Some of the magic is lost, and too many typos not caught.
December 23, 2025
A simple fable, lite revolutionary magical realism, very easy to read. maybe too easy to read?
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews