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The Story

In this gripping story, Wanjiru and Barack are two lonely souls that collide in the vibrant city of Mombasa. Battling the ghosts of their pasts, they form a delicate bond that teeters on the edge of love. In the midst of emotional turbulence, Wanjiru dreams of a fresh start, while Barack fights against the fear of commitment. Can they break through their walls and find solace in each other? Discover the heart-wrenching twists and irresistible pull of their journey in this unforgettable story.

After the tragic death of her fiancé, Wanjiru is suffocating in Nairobi’s chaotic life. Seeking solace and a fresh start, she leaves behind her young son, boarding a bus to Mombasa in hopes of escaping the emotional weight. In Mombasa, she finds refuge in the luxurious Nyali penthouse of Barack, a driven engineer who is himself running from a past shadowed by a tragic relationship with a Muslim woman.

Barack is a complex figure—an obsessive workaholic by day, a relentless party-goer by night, trying to stave off the fear of aging. Wanjiru, captivated by his intensity, quickly forms a bond with the enigmatic man who guards his emotions fiercely. She is drawn into his world, finding herself trapped between affection and the desire for something more permanent.

While Wanjiru sees Mombasa as her dream and future—a place where she builds friendships and establishes a new life—Barack views it only as a temporary stop in his life’s journey. Yet, despite their emotional detachment, the chemistry between them begins to build, creating a tension that teeters on the brink of love. Wanjiru, yearning for more, pushes Barack to define their relationship, while he struggles with his inner conflict, unwilling yet unable to resist the pull she has over him.

Their bond dangles precariously on the edge, and the question remains: will they risk breaking the fragile idyll of their relationship by surrendering to love, or will they continue to hide behind their emotional walls? In this atmospheric tale, Mombasa becomes both a haven and a battleground for two souls wrestling with love, loss, and the fear of vulnerability.

She must win his heart at all costs to give herself and her son a future.

Wanjiru knows what she wants and what she must do as a woman to get it. Her old life continues to haunt her, the sins of the past clinging to her like a shadow, driving her ever more determined to carve out a better future. After many failed attempts to capture Barack's attention, she becomes desperate and goes to reckless extremes with her calculated notions of her battle to win herself love.

The New Girl In Mombasa is a portrait of two people running from a troubled past and moving towards an uncertain future. Set in Mombasa, Kenya’s famed coastal city of rich historical heritage and Swahili culture, it is a haunting look at loneliness, the struggle for love, belonging and independence. Its beauty lies in its subtlety, its emotional nuances. And Mombasa is glamorous, seductive, magical, always looped around by the sensuous, unrelenting rhythm of night clubs, and steeped in hookups, revelry, barhopping, and the pleasures of the beach parties.

REVIEWS

This is a captivating journey of Love, Loss, and Redemption. Quite gripping and captivating! Not to say it is an African novel about love and loss, far from it. The sweet surprise at the end blew me away.

KATE, NAIROBI ROMANCE READS

This is one of the African novels with strong female characters. Definitely a lady's book. 

QUINTER'S BLOG

Another of African novels for book clubs. My favourite "romantic" thriller. I shed tears after reading it. 

BETTY MIRITI, NURSE, US

A page-turner. Explosive 

KILIMANI MUMS, KENYA

The New Girl in Mombasa is an absolute page-turner! From the first chapter, you're pulled into the mysterious and vibrant world of Mombasa, where cultures collide and secrets lurk beneath the surface. The novel brilliantly blends suspense with a rich exploration of identity, as the protagonist faces unexpected challenges in an unfamiliar city. The writing is sharp, the plot twists are gripping, and the atmosphere is so vivid you can almost feel the coastal breeze. If you're looking for a read that’s equal parts thrilling and deeply moving, this is the book for you! Highly recommended! 📚🔥 #MustRead #SheReads #BookReview #TheNewGirlInMombasa

BLACK GIRLS READ BOOK CLUB, VIA FACEBOOK

CHAPTER EXCERPT

CHAPTER ONE

There comes luck in a man’s life and, in some instances, it arrives veiled like a thin muslin cloth covering the face of a Swahili woman, or a pricey parcel deposited at Mwembe Tayari Market from Nairobi, or even a vision like a shooting star dipping into the sea, or the way the breeze seems, almost, to bring with it the spice and stink of Asia and the murmur of Aminata’s voice. In January—this January came luck. But luck is not the same as chance, and even the most unexpected events follow a design in those moments in life when you collide with something that sends you hurtling down a path from which you can never return. That is to say, there are unexplained events that come unexpectedly to shape the future that may seem less than accidental, even in a flash of wild optimism, but (in this case) the man they happened to was a man who didn’t believe in things like chance and luck and fate and coincidence—or that thing called Providence.

It had been a hot, humid day, normal for tropical living, but now the light cool breeze brought a kind of peaceful melancholy. He was doing calculations on MathCAD with the stress doing a number on his brain, thinking that he was going crazy. He was terribly weary—he had worked at the port all day and then came to the office to work on some drawings—but this was not the reason for his paralysis. His current position was nowhere near a career trajectory. Working in Mombasa with the furiously hot sun and the grime was never his long-term dream. It was pure torture. His colleagues—those brave sons of Africa who chose to perpetuate their careers from common situations into some outrageous ambitions that only escalate from being under-utilised—had gone back to Nairobi and were bagging dollars from international clients—#freelancehustle. There was no rationalizing it, he had to leave Mombasa. This palling job, much as it kept him bound up, was eating him alive. Heading the engineering department was not enough for his quest for self satisfaction, something was amiss—he was perishing from being under-utilised. According to the company grapevine, there would be opportunities galore after the Japanese contract. Mombasa was always too insanely hot to figure things out. Whatever was going to happen wasn’t going to affect him; he was going to have to get motivated, move to Nairobi and find himself again.

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