The book review:
The Iron Snake is a novel set in Kenya around the turn of the previous century when the railroad was being built. The title, of course, refers to the railroad and is drawn from a Kikuyu prophecy about the coming of wazungu. Author Gaudet weaves a good bit of accurate history and several real persons into the fabric of his novel, but most of the characters and the specific plot are fictional. Yet the setting, the geography, the Kisettler Swahili, and the mood evoke an authentic Kenya of that era. Some of this authenticity, however, is offset by the author’s penchant to attribute some 21st-century morality and attitudes to his characters, for example, when the heroine engages in village good works using a community-based development approach. Similarly, Gaudet generally treats his African and Asian characters humanely and not with either the paternalism or racism that would have more accurately reflected the epoch. Nonetheless, his use of a Kikuyu sage discussing the power of oaths as a forewarning of Mau Mau was a nice touch.

The story centers on a young English woman, Alice McConnell, who goes to Kenya with her sickly half sister and drunken brother-in-law. He becomes the District Commissioner in Machakos. Alice’s trials, tribulations and love life unfold in several dimensions through the actions of some two-dozen people (it is good there is a list of them in the front piece for easy reference). The many stereotypical characters allow the author to observe and discuss many facets of early colonial Kenya, especially the railroad. Beyond the personal crises that motivate the story, tension in the plot arises from antagonism between the colonial administration, railroad authorities, settlers and natives. An added twist is a German conspiracy to annex Kenya that enlists discontented Kikuyu tribesmen.

Obviously, a lot goes on in this novel and a lot of people are involved. While it does take some time to sort out who’s who and for the story lines to coalesce, the book does move along to resolution. Although not a great novel, the Kenyan setting is realistic. It is a well-told tale and an entertaining read.

John Gaudet, the author, spent years in Uganda as a papyrus expert, and in Kenya overseeing various development projects. He married a British Kenyan whose family undoubtedly provided insight into the early generation about which he writes.

Thanks to Phil (APCD 80–84) and Debbie Jones for alerting me to this book.