A flashback (analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point

in the story. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary

sequence of events to fill in crucial back story.

This technique is usually used to clarify plot or back story, flashbacks sometimes act as an unreliable narrator.

Nostalgia feeling

The novel is told by an omniscient narrator, who exposes the point of view of different characters at different times, revealing their inside.

Mau-Mau rebelion against British Colony

The Celebration of Uhuru- Freedom (1963).

Though the subject matter is dense, the author freely opens the character’s mind. Several events from the past are examined in flashback revealing the points of view from different characters.

The stories are intertwined, making a complex story with many threads.

The two main story lines are there in the novel. There are some other stories- the story of the Thompsons, Kihika, Wambuku ,Njeri.

• Throughout the novel the flashback stories run parallel with the present story of the celebration of Uruhu. Dr. Lynd, Mumbi, Gikonyo all felt the need of telling their past experience and connect themselves to the present.