Title: The Man in Green Dungarees
Author: Ng'ang'a Mbugua
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Available: Bookshops countrywide
By Kennedy Mwangi
In his
characteristic simple and free-flowing style, Ng’anga’ Mbugua mesmerizes readers in what is one of his most successful books.
The novella,
written in an ordinary yet beautiful first person narrative, stamps the
author’s mark on literary finesse. Told by a hawker while selling his wares in
the streets, the author takes the reader through the life of an ordinary man with
mixed fortunes.
The Man in Green Dungarees describes just how a man’s determination
can pull a person out of poverty and put him at the table of greatness.
"There
was a time we used to hawk with him here on this very street. Now I see him
being interviewed on television and when I say that I know him, nobody believes
me," the narrator states.
As in some of his previous works, in Dungarees, Mbugua employs humour and this gives the
novel a light touch, making it more appealing to diverse audiences.
"…we can sit around and tell stories now that
we have no bosses to harass us and make our lives miserable. At times I pity
those office types," one character in the book says.
John
Benjamin is the central character in the novella. He is disillusioned in life when he
misses university entrance by a point. This one missed point goes further to
deny him love from his girlfriend who describes him unflatteringly as a "school dropout". He finds
comfort in alcoholism and heavily indulges in a local brew to a point of sleeping
in the ditch. He is brought back to his
senses by a little girl who ‘held her nose when John Benjamin walked into (the)
house'.
After this
experience, John Benjamin vows to make something useful of his life and turns his good
carpentry skills into a source of money by making kennels. His business grows
and he starts designing and selling first-class kennels. He goes
on to be nominated and wins a young entrepreneurs’ prize.
John Benjamin’s
climb to the top of the ladder is not that all smooth. A conman milked him of
millions of shillings and his long-trusted business friend, Parmenus Marifoti, almost got him killed
after a botched narcotics assignment went sour. After the incident, he had to work extra hard to regain the
trust that the public had in him.
The
author also puts the education system to test. In what could be an authorial voice, John Benjamin says he was "the
victim of a system which equates failing in examination with failing in life".
He says: "Education is important if individuals are to realise their full potential but
young people also need to be encouraged to exploit their talents be it in
sports, arts or any other field. I failed to join university, but now I am
benefiting from my talent".
This book
touches on alcoholism, irresponsible parenthood, corruption, betrayal, tears, joy
and love.
The
book defines the common man’s life and illuminates how a man can rise
and fall and rise again depending on the choices that one makes in life.
The
book’s flow of events and descriptions, coupled with the
characters confines the book to the common man’s readership. Mbugua
seems to take advantage of his ability to write his thoughts in a simple
language that is appealing to a majority of readers. In this book, however, this art
narrowly misfires as it can almost be termed as simplistic.
Kennedy Mwangi is a Literature
and Political Science Student at the University of Nairobi
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