Petals of Blood – by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Petals of Blood, first published in 1977, is one of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s most powerful and politically charged novels. Set in the fictional Kenyan town of Ilmorog, the novel follows Munira, Wanja, Karega, and Abdulla, four individuals brought together by hardship and idealism. As the town transforms under the pressures of capitalism and modern development, the characters find themselves entangled in a web of betrayal, exploitation, corruption, and resistance.

A searing critique of post-independence Kenya, the novel exposes the deepening inequalities created by neocolonialism, where liberation gives way to greed and moral decay. Ngũgĩ combines realism, symbolism, and social commentary to deliver a bold indictment of Kenya’s political elite.