David Ration Lekoba, The Chronicles of a Broken Heart

Abstract

The Chronicles of a Broken Heart, by the upcoming writer and educator, David R. Lekoba, is a deeply and
touching written novel, which tells the story of a poor village boy transitioning into a young man amidst
trials and utmost tribulations of life. To discover and realise who one is and what one’s purpose is in life
has not been an easy task for an African child Kago, the main character who is raised in an extended family.
Poverty, disease and family disintegration can build or break strong childhood foundation that forms the
very fabrics of early human life. This school of thought is beautifully woven into the story through the
battles of family feuds, different forms of abuse, HIV/AIDS in the family and favouritism that Kago
endures growing up. The unconditional love experienced and enjoyed from his maternal grandmother help
mould him to be a morally grounded child. It is this good behaviour, his intelligent mind in school and his
impoverished background that win him affection and care from a foreign family, a Zimbabwean couple
who are teachers in Tonota, Botswana. The ‘disappearance’ of his mother and the ultimate death of his
dear grandmother are critical to his rather confused teenage development, making possible the transition
of good moral standing to self-destruction.