A witty tale on romance, immorality and the wages of crime

 A witty tale on romance, immorality and the wages of crime

Title: The Minister's Daughter

Author: Mwangi Ruheni

Publisher: East African Educational Publishers (Spear Books)

Year:1975( Reprinted nineteen times )

Reviewer: Kitui Wakape

Going by recent media reports where high school teens have been caught red handed; high on alcohol and drugs while engaging in ungodly acts, one may wonder why today's teens are so obsessed with misbehaviour, especially during holidays. But a more poignant question would be: where do parents go wrong?

In this novel written four decades ago, Ruheni seems to provide answers albeit with a humorous touch. It rings with truth, reflecting the current Kenyan society way of life. The author successfully manages to weave a witty narrative that brings to the fore issues of teenage love and pregnancy, materialism, religious hypocrisy and moral decay.

Ruheni does this through Jane Njeri, a timid girl raised by staunch christian parents. Her father is a church minister. Her one sided kind of upbringing suggest that it was a problem as soon as she arrives in Nairobi from the village.

The story begins when Jane is in his uncle's home in Nairobi during the December holidays. The uncle needed an extra maid after his wife gave birth to a second child and Grace Wangare, the house help, couldn't cope with all the house chores.

Grace though is a know-it-all and broadminded girl; actually with two boyfriends, one who is a spare. Jane's naivety doesn't go well with her. She taunts Jane who has never tasted beer. In the end, Jane is swayed and agrees to taste beer when they visit one of Grace's boyfriends. To parents, this may be a cautious warning for them to be sure whose hands their children are in. Ruheni portrays females as easily swayed and unprincipled.

The visit introduces Jane to more than alcohol as she becomes too free with a man (Lewis) who fondles her. Though when Lewis reveals his true identity, mentioning that he was the one who had written her a love note when she was nine; Jane regrets “...that she had allowed herself to be free with this boy." She vows never to misbehave again.

The next she is on holiday, she refuses to drink alcohol offered by Lewis and asks for a soft drink. Moreover, she never allows him to hold her closely as they dance. Yet Lewis changes tact, using loving words until he got it on with her. He thereafter begins seeing Jane differently, preferring his other girlfriend who “...kept her knees together and kept both hands on top of both knees."

Jane's pregnancy thereafter and Lewis's allofness and abandonment culminates in Jane getting introduced to murder and the world of crime.

The author however, doesn't convincingly tell us why Jane got away with murder. True, she had helped police with investigations but this is too simplistic a reason for her to go scot free. Also toward the end, we're told nothing about Jane in a whole chapter.

All in all, it is a good read especially for parents raising preteens and/or teens. They should read it and have a candid discussion with their own children. Yet they shouldn't let the humour in the book carry them away.