This archive report was first published on 26 September 2019.
On September 26, 2019, Jennifer Makumbi's new collection Manchester Happened was published, offering a poignant look at the experiences of Ugandans living in Britain.
Ms Makumbi, winner of the Windham Campbell prize for her novel Kintu, showcases her writing talent in this new book, which chronicles the struggles of leaving home and being away.
Compared to Kintu, whose themes felt intense from start to finish, Manchester Happened has an admirable levity that cloaks the seriousness of some of the more difficult themes.
One of the book's standout features is its diverse cast of characters, including a proud stray dog from Kampala who finds himself in Britain.
Ms Makumbi's writing is characterized by rich characters and beautiful sentences, as seen in this passage: 'She enjoys the smell of paint because her husband Kayita died a year ago, but his scent lingered, his image stayed on objects and his voice was absorbed in the bedroom walls: every time Nnam lay down to sleep, the walls played back his voice like a record.'
Manchester Happened is an easy read, perfect for those with busy schedules, and its short story format makes it an ideal choice for readers who can only read in short spurts.
