Jasmine In July by Daniel Oyugi

Description

In a village where waiting becomes a way of life, one family must learn that love in
Jasmine in July means more than just holding on.
When Professor William leaves his wife Imani and infant daughter Pendo for a prestigious position in Ecuador,
he promises it’s temporary six months, maybe eight. But as weeks turn into months, the distance
between them grows wider than any ocean. Back home, young Imani raises their
daughter alone, clinging to hope and the jasmine plant her husband gave her before
he left. “Beautiful and strong,” he’d said, “blooming even in difficult soil.” But
jasmine isn’t the only thing being tested. With each passing day, the temptation to
give up—or give in—grows stronger. Mr. Amani, the aging patriarch next door,
watches over them with the wisdom of a man who’s lost his own family to distance
and dreams. His adopted son may be gone, but his other son Boiboi, the unchosen
brother drowning in alcohol and resentment is dangerously close to losing himself
entirely. When tragedy strikes the village, it becomes a catalyst for change. Choices
must be made. Redemption must be earned. And a family fractured by ambition
must decide if love is patient enough to survive absence, strong enough to forgive
failure, and stubborn enough to bloom again. JASMINE IN JULY is a deeply moving
exploration of what it means to be family not by blood or law, but by the daily
choice to stay, to fight, and to keep blooming even when the soil is difficult