Her parents divorced and it became a struggle through school and life. Deborah narrates this and more, writes ANN VERONICAH

Can you provide us with a brief overview of your book?

This book starts in the rural area in the 50s when my father was born. I have discussed the history of the Suba people as my dad was one of them. He was the last born because his mother died after birthing him. My dad grows up and goes to school in Homa Bay High School where he becomes a striker. When he is still in high school, two ladies are betrothed to him, he marries and by the time he is done with school, he has a family. He came to Nairobi after high school which was an entirely different life. He meets my mother and they even get married in church. Eventually, the truth comes out and by this time, my mother already has two children, my brother and I. The marriage crumbles, they separate and that is how he becomes a single dad.

What motivated you to write the book?

As an ardent reader, I noticed that most autobiographies talk about the success stories like the people who won gold and great politicians yet I feel like everybody has a story that can impact somebody else. For this reason, there are stories of ordinary people who have tried and failed time and again.

How has the writing journey been?

I have always wanted to write this book and I kept procrastinating because I was still grieving until one day my husband urged me to do it. So in April last year, I started writing and it was such a painful story that I used to write while having breaks in between. At some point, I had to go for therapy because writing is like reopening wounds. Afterwards, I realised it was not only about the sad bit of it. Beautiful memories reappeared and so I went on until I finished in October. I gave the manuscript to the consultants and I thought it was over but it wasn't. The book came back to me with a lot of corrections and it was like I was starting all over again. I however gathered myself and finished writing in December.

What is the inspiration behind your title and cover?

This book is black in colour because I think there is a lot of growth in darkness. People think that there is a lot of growth in light, but actually most growth for any human will manifest in their dark times.

When you look at the cover you see a tree. Under that tree is where my father was born and the story begins. His mother gives birth to him under that tree but passes on.
I settled on the title Rough Silk because it signifies what life is all about. In anybody's life, there are highs as well as lows.

How have you incorporated your personal journey into this story of you and your dad?

I went through a lot of hardships after my parents divorced. My brother and I were being relocated from one place to another as our parents could not agree on the custody issue. My education was a whole lot of struggles since my dad had already lost his job. I spent most holidays at school because of lack of fare. I had identity crisis, mostly in high school, in the midst of trying to establish who I am and feeling like my parents had abandoned me. However, I luckily managed to finish my education even with all the struggles.

Which historical or famous events have you captured in your memoir?

Gor Mahia in itself is a package. Personally, I am a huge fan and a lot of us have inherited it from my parents. When this book starts, I talk about things that were important to my father which were rhumba and football. During this period, Gor Mahia used to play at City Stadium. My dad's friend used to pick him from Umoja 1 where we lived, then go to Burma and afterwards head to the stadium. I never went to the stadium for the live matches but I used to listen to the radio with him when he was around. Basically, I have tackled Gor Mahia from the days of my dad to the current times.

Your story's setting is at a time when HIV pandemic really affected a lot of people. How have you addressed the theme of this pandemic?

I feel that as the Luo community, we don't speak as much as we should on the pandemic and the drastic effects it had. There was this club in Kisumu called Junction Inn and my dad had this group of friends who used to drive to the club, dance to Okatch Biggy and travel back to Nairobi in the morning. Luos are lively people so there was music accompanied by reckless sexual behaviour which resulted in a lot of HIV moving around in these clubs. From 1993 onwards, the virus started getting into the community. So many people died. As children born in the 80s, most of us were left as orphans. I have dedicated a whole chapter to the boys' club and another one to the pandemic and they have explained these situations in depth.

How is the book doing in terms of sales?

When I announced that I have written a book and I'm launching it, within the first 30 minutes, about 1,000 books were already sold. We actually had to change the venue in order to accommodate the masses streaming in.

Why do you think most people have gained interest in this book?

I think one of the reasons this book has really sold is because it's a Kenyan story. It is also an ordinary story that most people relate to. Whenever we write our own stories, people become interested in the books.

Should your readers be looking forward to another book?

This book is mostly about my dad. There is a whole story about me that has not been included in it. A book might come out on how I have dealt with the grief or just about me.