"Never Say Never" by Anthony Mugo Book Review

My father got me this text when I joined Form 1, and I was thrilled to own a book. I had lost the first copy he had ever gotten me at a younger age, and I promised to guard this copy selfishly. Its cover has witnessed the test of time and moving with me wherever I go. 

“Never Say Never” is a sad story of a young boy, Muthini Njoki, and his torturous growth. His life begins with a failure to pass the nursery school examination and being taken to an approved school that belonged to inmates. In my culture, Muthini means a sufferer, and Mugo has significantly captured more troubles for the young boy than anyone would expect. First, Muthini Njoki is humiliated in class since he has no male surname and is not baptized. Worst still, his single mother could not afford Ksh 500 to pay his fees, thus the rough transition to an approved school. Muthini would sleep in a jail with other inmates despite his young age.

As an inmate, Muthini wore the green uniform that symbolizes lawbreakers in the community. For instance, thieves found it easier to associate with him while he was always a suspect in a crime scene due to his uniform. The people in his community believe he was involved in crime to be forcefully taken to an approved school. Thus, he constantly questions who organized his transfer to an approved school meant for inmates. Although he firmly believes that his uncle, Patrick’s father, had engineered that painful transition, in the end, he realizes that his mother’s thirst for education propelled his painful experience. 

In addition, love affairs also trouble Muthini Njoki in “Never Say Never.” His admiration for Anastasia, who was his classmate before he was moved to an approved school. Unfortunately, Anastasia believes that Muthini had stolen something to be taken to an approved school. Thus, she despises him, and their love does not survive. Instead, Anastasia falls in love with people close to Muthini, perhaps to despise him further. These include Muthini’s cousin, Patrick, and his friend, Jeff. She eventually gets pregnant for either of them. Although the experience is excruciatingly painful, Muthini had grown a thicker skin to such humiliations. 

The smooth flow of the story is captivating enough to keep you reading until the last page. Besides, the quest to know the experience of a standard four-year-old boy amidst inmates would keep you turning one page after the other. His traumatic experiences, from sleeping in jail to being harassed by fellow inmates, are keenly described. In this case, the parents afraid of taking their children to boarding schools are likely to worsen their fear due to some relatable bad experiences, such as theft and sexual harassment. Also, the question of who organized such an inconsiderate move and their reasons would keep a reader glued to the book.

However, telling the story with the first voice limits Mugo’s ability to effectively tell the story of some characters. For example, the story of Muthini’s mother could be pretty captivating and enhance the book’s theme. Ideally, I believe that giving a profound description of the life of Muthini’s mother before her demise would give a solid foundation for the saying “Never Say Never.”