A Girl is a Body of Water: A Novel

A Girl is a Body of Water: A Novel

by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

4.4 (360)

4.4 stars from 360 reviews

545 pages~9.1 hr readPublished by Tin House BooksPublished 2020-01-01

$9.99Deal47% off peak

Last checked: Jun 3, 2026

Price history: $1.99 $18.89

While not the biggest discount we've seen for this book, it's still a great deal and we recommend grabbing it before price returns to its normal range.

Price range: $1.99 $18.89

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Fans of these authors will like this...

  • Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • Nnedi Okorafor
  • Yaa Gyasi

Fans of these books will like this...

  • Americanah
  • Half of a Yellow Sun
  • The Joys of Motherhood

Perfect for you if...

  • You're drawn to coming-of-age stories grounded in specific cultural worlds, especially ones that blend folklore with modern girlhood.
  • You appreciate literary fiction that takes women's inner lives seriously, particularly their rage and desire for autonomy.
  • You want to read African authors whose prose feels both intimate and mythic, without exoticising their characters.

Maybe not for you if...

  • You prefer fast-paced plots over emotional depth and introspection.
  • You're looking for resolution and closure. Makumbi leaves some threads deliberately tangled, reflecting real life.
  • You want a straightforward mentorship narrative. This is messier and more psychologically complex than that.

About this book

At thirteen, Kirabo grapples with a fundamental question: who is her mother? Raised in the Ugandan village of Nattetta by her grandmother, best friend, and aunts, Kirabo feels the weight of her mother's absence. She seeks guidance from Nsuuta, a local witch, who reveals that Kirabo's mother is alive but unwilling to meet her. Nsuuta also helps Kirabo understand a mysterious second self emerging within her—a headstrong, confusing force that Nsuuta identifies as a streak of the "first woman," an independent, original state largely lost to women. Kirabo's effort to reconcile these feelings, reconnect with her mother, and honor her family's expectations unfolds through Ugandan folklore. The novel explores what it means to be a modern girl in a world that works to silence women. Winner of the Jhalak Prize and named a Best Book of the Year by TIME, The Washington Post, O, the Oprah Magazine, and BBC, the novel examines the connections between history, tradition, family, friendship, and the possibility of a different future.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

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Free$9.45$18.89Mar '21Sep '22Mar '25Jun '26
$1.99$18.89

Currently on sale at $9.99 — 47% off peak. Price has dropped 8 times over the last 5 years. Goes on sale roughly every 256 days. Typically stays discounted for 1 day.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

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#605#614,287#1,227,969Jul '20Oct '22Nov '23May '26

Currently around #57K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

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3.5★4.3★5.0★Feb '24Apr '24Jun '24Aug '24Mar '26RatingReviews

Currently 4.4★ from 360 reviews

Gaining approximately 1 new review per month. Rating has remained stable at 4.4 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

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Free$9.45$18.89Mar '21Sep '22Mar '25Jun '26PredictedJun '26

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $9.99. It typically returns to around $18.89.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.

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Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

1 book on Vagrant Press

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