Matsiko puts storytelling skills to good use in book

Godwin Matsiko is a good storyteller, building up suspense as a narrative device that creates tension and builds the reader’s desire to find out what lies beneath the descriptive language he employs.

The main protagonist of his 2021 novella is Gordon “Goldie” Opio, the ladies’ man, who calls Victor his best friend. The two young lawyers sound like they could give a lecture on urban design and how it reflects its context in order to create structures and spaces attuned to their surroundings.

They are light on their feet as they walk the line between what sounds smart and what sounds convenient. It’s the perfect backdrop to a gathering storm looming before Priscilla and Genelas (a corruption of Generous?) enter this stage of the story.

Priscilla, who is Victor’s relative, is a university student and chorister like Genelas. She answers to the nickname Pree and hugs Victor “lifting one leg while at it.”

At this stage, these four are not a crowd. Instead, they blend with the companionable ease of crossed fingers. Well, partly. Genelas is not exactly responsive to Goldie’s romantic overtures.

“For someone who claims to be a rich lawyer, you are such a stubborn rookie. Are there chicks who fall for such lines?” Her derisory gaze swept over him like a haunting halo.

Her behaviour is disingenuous, on closer examination of her direct speech paired with what may be called indirect speech; if we are to consider her non-verbal communication as expressive of her indifference to Goldie’s quiet machismo.

Any man will see in her initial rejection of Goldie the seeds of her eventual love for him. But that does not happen all at once.

Through tone, mood and setting, the author reels us into the lives of these earnest young persons with all the suspense he can muster.

Still, the story seems linear until Chapter Six, which unveils “five years ago.” Victor and Goldie, who are “buppies” (young black professionals), suddenly re-materialise at the Law Development Centre as lawyers-in-the-making hoping to make the grade, so to speak. Here we are introduced to Nancy, who later will feature prominently in this story.

Impressively, by going back in time, the author builds a backstory offering a comprehensive overview of both Victor and Goldie’s histories as integral parts of their character creation.

Then, in Chapter 7, the story is rewound further to “Fifteen years ago.” Enter Lieutenant Colonel Oloka, a man who initially seems to be fated hapless.

Accused of being a fifth columnist helping the rebels, he is boarded off to become a military attaché in Beijing, China. His story serves as an essential subplot to the unfolding drama, you will see.

However, as the story arc bends towards an ominous denouement, we are shaken out of our dread by the sexual dalliances of Goldie, Genelas, Victor, a nubile lady called Noella and a vertically challenged student called Brian.

At this point, we are treated to a love triangle whose circumference expands to include an American lady called Mary. The titillating love scenes and Will Smithian entanglements add excitement and intrigue to this urban love story.

Of course, we’re sucked in—especially, when the anxiety-inducing moments make us feel that someone will be caught with their pants down.

Luckily, nobody gets caught as what seemed like a budding love story devolves into a complicated romp with more layers than a farm filled with poultry.

As this tale’s innocence is lost, Priscilla remains the naïve and trusting lover we knew she would be from the moment we saw her in the university choir.  All the while, her love interest could be the father to Genelas’s unborn child or it could be Goldie. It is hard to tell. But one thing is obvious, sex happens at the drop of a hat and few of these characters have meaningful relationships with each other.

Even Victor and Goldie turn out to be the true enemies that true friends become when the line between love and hate is crossed. Still, the two remain cordial; you could even say they remain “friends”. Then, like a bolt from the blue, there’s a prima facie plot twist.

Looking deeper, though, it is not really a plot twist any more than it is the story maturing into what could prove fatal to Victor and Goldie. As fate would have it, though, their predicament is another “beautyful problem.”

Book Title: Beautyful Problems: A novella

Author: Matsiko Godwin Muhwezi

Year of Publication: 2021

Pages: 165

Price: Shs 40,000

Where: Uganda Museum Library