"Dazzling. . . . Owuor's prose is a physical expression of the landscape it evokes. . . . [A] luscious debut." –The New York Times Book Review
"Astonishing. . . . In this remarkable novel is a brave, healing voice. . . . Owuor demonstrates extraordinary talent. . . . Let the sensuous language of Dust wash over you." –The Washington Post
"[Dust] brings Kenya to life. . . . Owuor channels Faulkner or a certain kind of Pynchon. . . . Poetic." –San Francisco Chronicle
"[An] unforgettable book, full of love and full of pain. . . . This is the novel my twenty-first century has been waiting for, for our world in these seismic times." –Binyavanga Wainaina, author of One Day I Will Write About This Place
"Dust anchors Owuor as the rightful heir to Kenya's greatest novelist: Ngugi wa Thiong'o. . . . A dazzling narrative, Faulknerian in many ways. . . . The rewards are significant, especially [the] unforgettable characters. . . . [Readers] are rewarded with a genuine sense of fulfillment. Owuor's is a new voice from the African continent–distinct, rich, unflappable in her convictions. . . . Amazing." –CounterPunch
"Owuor dives back into Kenya's history as far as the Mau Mau uprising of the 1950s. . . . Challenging . . . but the reader is repaid with scenes of strange, horror-stricken beauty." –The Wall Street Journal
"A chilling portrait of Kenya that's brimming with pain and promise. . . . Owuor is taking her place in Kenya's long line of outstanding writers. . . . Brilliant." –Essence magazine
"[Owuor's] prose can be inventive, even breathtaking, turning phrases or fusing unexpected words in ways that confound and inspire. . . . The next step in what I anticipate to be a prodigious career." –Colin Dwyer, NPR
"There is hardly any aspect of Kenya that Owuor seems unable to tackle with her unique flair in this masterfully executed novel, from the mid-20th century's Mau Mau rebellion and its aftermath to the stirring personal destinies of her sundry cast of characters. . . . Her writing is exceptionally chiseled and achieves a poetic dimension." –
Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed review)
"Owuor's prose dances along the page with grace and elegance." –
The Toronto Star "[Owuor] has style to spare. . . . [Her] prose has an appealingly rough-hewn poetry, built on clipped sentences and brush-stroke evocations of the dry landscape." –
Kirkus Reviews
"Powerful . . . [
Dust] will evoke references to William Boyd and even to Graham Greene and Joseph Conrad. . . . [An] important addition to the literature of contemporary Africa." –
Booklist
"This stunning debut novel grabs the reader's heart, refusing to let go. . . . Unforgettable characters and universal themes will speak to all readers who seek truth and beauty in their literature. . . . [Owuor is a] shining talent among Africa's writers." –
Library Journal (starred review)
