Mangua's novel is a fictional, autobiographical account of the son of a prostitute. The male narrator describes his life as the orphan of a prostitute in the slums of Nairobi, a young man frequenting bars and brothels, a student, corrupt civil servant and seasonal convict. His is a humorous and cynical account revealing much about the unsavoury aspects of a world experiencing rapid social change. Charles Mangua is a prolific writer of popular literature, and author of three other novels, Son of Woman in Mombasa (the sequel to Son of Woman), A Tail in the Mouth, and Kanina and I.

    The story reflects the writer's experience of migrancy, and his refusal of the security of belonging - either to an African identity or to the international literary elite.

    But Baba Pesa is up against his drunken son, Juda, who has taken to lecturing his fellow villagers on the greater values in life.