Three Dreams on Mount Meru

Bayu is a young African Muslim who, spurred by the sharp words of his fiancee, means to achieve what his ancestors 9a clan of sculptors and artists) have accomplished, namely, to undertake a journey that all the men of his clan must make -- travel to Mount Meru, in Tanzania, and dream three dreams. After which he can return to his village near Mombassa, in Kenya, and take a wife. The journey is a hard one that means crossing the forests to Mount Meru, traveling across hard and hostile terrain. But the journey includes more than hardships and dangers, there are also the strange beauty of the trees, and the eyes of the leopard -- a figure which Bayu's ancestor held captivated and captive, protecting him. A superbly written novel of discovery and personal adventure, Francoise Devenne's "Three Dreams On Mount Meru" is ably, even lyrically, translated into English by Lauren Yoder and highly recommended, rewarding reading from beginning to end.