As a character, Kunda is defiant and opinionated as most teenagers are towards their parents. Determined to have her way, she runs off once she learns her father’s plans to marry her to an older man. Away from home she meets and falls in love with the most unlikely character, a pirate called Joriah. John Twijuk, on the other hand, fights to establish his own family’s success disassociated from the fame that comes with his wife’s family name, Nvaleroah. However, with a terminally ill child, when war breaks out he reluctantly agrees to return to Marah’s family home where she hopes her son, once reconnected to her ancestral heritage will receive supernatural healing, modern medicine had failed so far.
The book carries strong themes of family and spirituality throughout. Though estranged from her father, Kunda continues to yearn for his acceptance of her choice of partner, seeking him out for help with her pregnancy. John Twijuk gives up his chosen path in Tampana for the wellbeing of his wife and children while Marah is eager to reconnect with a heritage she has lived without for so long. The name Nvaleoroah invokes strong family ties in Old Town. As a community, they are deeply spiritual. Muuna and his presence are felt through Kunda’s experiences. The birth of her child is prophesied to link with unprecedented thunder. Her father holds the function of healer and it’s believed even nature flourishes where his family settles.
Though we get to meet other characters that are significant to the story, like the life witness who supports Kunda deliver her son there remain several moments that seem incomplete or unfinished in the book. A feud between the Nvaleroah family and the wider community outside of Old Town is hinted at in the book. Exposed briefly when the Twijuks first return to the Nvaleroah home. Looking back, it would have been great for this feud and other pivotal events and characters to be explained some more to support their relevance in the otherwise dramatic story. I was also looking forward to seeing Kunda’s descendants reconciled with her pirate husband and her father but I guess not all relationships can be salvaged.
Racheal A. Z. takes complex ideas like time travel and spirituality and creates a phenomenal experience for the reader whilst leaving her characters and the families very relatable to life as we know it. We grow to have compassion for them as they face different challenges. Overall, it is a family drama that will keep you hooked.
Kunda is self-published. A copy can be found on Amazon.