Before the Rooster Crows

Before the Rooster Crows follows Muriuki, a young man who leaves his back-breaking job on a Kenyan coffee plantation for the bustling city of Gichuka in pursuit of wealth and happiness with his childhood sweetheart, Mumbi. Their dream soon dissolves into a nightmare as they become entangled in the corruption and brutal political quagmire of post-colonial Kenyan society. The novel sharply critiques the persistent inequities, racism, and economic hardships of the modern globalized world that Muriuki and Mumbi face. This gripping tragedy culminates in Mumbi's politically-motivated murder, forcing Muriuki to exact a controversial act of revenge before facing the ultimate betrayal by his own people.