10 book recommendations for Kenya

Conclave by Robert Harris 

About the book: Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, 118 cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election.

Still Life by Sarah Winman

About the book: In 1944 in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa, as bombs fall around them, two strangers meet and share an extraordinary evening. 

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant 

About the book: Alessandra must make crucial decisions about the shape of her adult life, as Florence itself must choose between the old ways of the Medicis and the asceticism of Savanorola.

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain 

As a young girl, Beryl Markham was brought to Kenya from Britain by her parents and went on to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

Hell's Gate by Richard Crompton

When Mollel, a former Maasai-warrior-turned-detective, ends up in a small, fly-blown town on the edge of a national park, it looks as if his career has taken a nose-dive.

Born Free by Joy Adamson

The true story of an orphaned lion cub, Elsa, who was raised by Joy and her game-warden husband in Kenya.

Leopard at the Door by Jennifer McVeigh

Stepping off the boat in Mombasa, eighteen-year-old Rachel stands on Kenyan soil for the first time in six years – she has come home.

Who Will Catch Us As We Fall by Iman Verge

A powerful tale of love and politics in contemporary Nairobi, depicting Kenya on the cusp of change in all its complexity.

The White Masai by Corinne Hofmann

Whilst on holiday, Corinne fell in love with a Masai warrior, and after overcoming all sorts of obstacles, she moved in with him and spent four years in Kenya.

Dust by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

A spellbinding state of the nation novel about Kenya, showing how the violence of the past informs the violence and disorder of the present.

Nairobi Heat by Mukoma Wa Ngugi

A cop from Wisconsin pursues a killer through the terrifying slums of Nairobi and the memories of genocide.

Nairobi Noir by Peter Kimani (editor)

This story brings together some of Kenya’s most exciting and acclaimed writers in this celebration of noir writing, played out on the streets of Nairobi.

I Dreamed of Africa by Kuki Gallmann

A haunting memoir of bringing up a family in Kenya in the 1970s, which is part celebration, part tragedy, and part love letter to Africa.