Book Synopsis

From the award winning author of Waiting...

Promises are like tilapia from Lake Victoria-glittering, evasive... slippery.

From warm Kampala to gloomy London, Goretti Kyomuhendo's novel charts the joys and tribulations of Ajuna and her fiancéeacute;, Kagaba. Young, highly skilled, and ambitious, both are caught up in financial hardship in their native Uganda. When Kagaba leaves for the UK as an economic immigrant, Ajuna's happy, fulfilling relationship is under threat. And in the indifferent UK, Kagaba must battle the cold, and the cold shoulder of London.

Promises exposes the shadow world of illegal immigrants, and the creativity with which people in the legal margins rise to meet an inhumane system. But for both Kagaba and Ajuna, a glimmer of hope comes from unexpected quarters.

Populated with an expansive array of vibrant characters, Goretti Kyomuhendo's novel examines the promises we keep and those we break when relationships are profoundly tested by circumstance and twists of fate. It is a vivid tapestry of Ugandan family life, and catches the universal emotions of love, death, and betrayal.

Review Quotes

"Promises, Goretti Kyomuhendo's new novel, offers yet another slice of Uganda. Promises is why and how Ugandans leave, it is who and what is left behind, it is the steep price paid for leaving. With her signature flair for raw, bold, honest fiction, Kyomuhendo lays bare machinations in Kampala, the heartlessness of London, the resilience of Ugandans and the ingenuity of desperate people. In Promises, Goretti Kyomuhendo reaffirms herself as a major voice out of Africa." - Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, author of The First Woman/A Girl is A Body of Water

''Goretti Kyomuhendo has a gift for making you care about her characters as if they are close friends or kin. I grumbled to myself when they made wrong choices but I was rooting for them all the way. This is a terrifying, immersive plunge into the lives of illegal immigrants in the UK and the families they've left behind. Goretti Kyomuhendo is in perfect control of her material, astute and knowing, tightly holding the reins of this fast paced novel.'' -- Leila Aboulela, author of The Kindness of Enemies: A Novel and Minaret: A Novel

In Praise of Goretti Kyomuhendo's other works:

Waiting: "In a beautifully direct narration, [Kyomuhendo] is able to show her characters reacting to the horror that Amin's regime has put them through. While the story can be used pedagogically, the writing does not feel either syrupy or pedantic but instead profoundly realistic." --Library Journal

Whispers From Vera: "Whispers From Vera is one of Africa's timeless novels..." - Caroline Numuhire (Rwanda) Author of Between Wild and Free

"Promises by Goretti Kyomuhendo is a moving tale of love, migration, and secrets. Honest, warm, and thought-provoking. This story lingers, making you reflect on promises and the ties that bind us." -- Cheeky Natives

About the Author

Goretti Kyomuhendo is one of Uganda's leading novelists and founding director of the African Writers Trust. Her novels include The First Daughter (1996), Secrets No More (1999), which won the Uganda National Literary Award for Best Novel in the same year. Goretti holds an MA degree in Creative Writing from the University of KwaZulu, Natal, South Africa, and taught creative writing in the same university in 2004.