This is a novel about love and marriage; relationships and how they change over time in response to circumstances. The circumstances in this instance are provided in Kenya in the late seventies. The Kenyan setting is authentically portrayed. Ergo those who know Kenya will take added pleasure in reading the novel.

The principal character is Margaret, a newly wed bride who arrives in Nairobi with Patrick, her doctor husband, who is doing medical research. Margaret is unsure of herself and her marriage, but gamely tries to make a go of both. The couple connects with British expatriates and together they plan and attempt a climb of Mount Kenya (hence the title of the novel). Things go awry. There is misunderstanding and an accident. Margaret and Patrick are left to pick up the pieces of their lives, but things have changed… and they have too.

Margaret searches to fill a void with meaningful employment and finds it as a photographer for the anti-government newspaper. Of course, she encounters the reality of poverty and politics in Kenya. She takes a fancy to an enigmatic reporter, but still feels bound to Patrick.

As the plot unfolds using Kenyan events—crime and political unrest as fodder—the two struggle to retain their marriage. Ultimately another climb of Mt. Kenya helps the denouement of the story.

The Kenya setting of the tale is well done. Nairobi and its people are realistically portrayed. Certainly author Shreve either climbed an African mountain or extensively debriefed someone who had because the trials and tribulations of a climb ring true.

If this book were a movie, it would be a chick flick. So if you like those sorts of stories, this is a great book for you. Even though I generally distain those types of novels, I found this book to be an entertaining read.