Coming to Birth. A Study Guide Book

Coming to Birth is among the highly-rated African literary works. This in-depth guide to Coming to Birth aims to equip you with a sufficient understanding of the novel. Each aspect of the story, be it the title, the author, the setting, the structure, characters, and themes has been analyzed widely, to offer you a thorough understanding of the novel. The following is an excerpt from this study guide:
"The storyline in the novel follows Kenya’s growth as a young independent nation. The political narrative runs alongside a tale of two young people in love – Martin and Paulina. They are the main characters in the novel, and their lives are seen to change as the events and happenings of the storyline shift and turn. Martin belongs to the working class, while Paulina is first portrayed as a naïve young lady with little experience about the ‘ways of the city’. The love between Paulina and Martina captures the readers’ attention. Neither Martin nor Paulina openly express their affection to each other, but rather through spontaneous acts of kindness, as seen from Martin to Paulina, revealing their love for each other. At the beginning of the novel, their love is ‘innocent and young’. It later faces the challenge of childlessness in marriage. The Marriage does not stand. Paulina is not able to sustain pregnancy full term, and experiences miscarriage several times. Martin is frustrated by [Continue reading the study guide]