"Your hand and my hand shake in a union of friendship.
Small and big, man and woman, husband and wife,
We build a new community, a new tomorrow
He who does not accept the ruling, let him leave in peace."

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong'o translated the original tale of the origins of the Gĩyũkũ people from Gĩyũkũ. He blends mythology and folklore in a verse style prose, to retell the The Perfect Nine which serves to be an enjoyable and beautiful book.

The retelling follows Gĩyũkũ and Mũmbi and how their daughters, the perfect nine, become the matriarchs of the Gĩyũkũ clans. Each daughter represents a different clan of the Gīyūkū.

When ninety-nine suitors come to propose marriage to the daughters of Gĩyũkũ and Mũmbi, the suitors and daughters alike must set off on a quest up Mount Kenya and face various trials to find the true suitors for each daughter. On the way the daughters and the suitors learn things about themselves, each other and nature around them.

I loved the fact that the nine daughters all had different strengths and talents from shooting arrows, to intelligence and strategy, to pottery and crop growing and much more. The daughters were strong and capable in their own right and the tale was focused on the men having to prove their worth to each of the women.

I really enjoyed the allegory and strong themes of unity, family, and courage throughout the book. The verse style definitely suited the mythology and folklore themes as it made the experience feel like a classic oral tale being handed down in song or verse, rather than just reading a book.

Although I am not familiar with the original tale this was incredibly enjoyable, very feminist and very heart-warming to read. Thank you to @miaandthebooks for the copy.