Discovering Home
Binyavanga Wainaina · 2001 CE · Short Story · East African · Contemporary
On the eve of leaving Cape Town, a young Kenyan sets out for home, and on from Kenya to his grandparents' house in Uganda for their sixtieth wedding anniversary. Old haunts and family turn unfamiliar through his own long absence, and he records them with satire and reflection. First published online in 2001, it won the Caine Prize in 2002, the first time the prize went to a Kenyan or to a story published online.
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Archetype (Jung / Campbell)
Closest analogues
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Short StoryExile & HomecomingMemory & TimeClass & InequalityTraditionContemporaryWandererEverymanThe Housevs SocietyRealist
Exile & HomecomingIdentity & SelfMemory & TimeTraditionContemporaryWandererEverymanVoyage and Returnvs SelfRealist