Measuring Time book by Helon Habila

Mamo and LeMamo are twins whose mother leaves the world as they enter it. They grow up in a small village with a philandering and domineering father. Dreaming of escape, they decide to run away to become soldiers, but Mamo falls sick and is forced to stay behind.

Measuring Time has a cast of memorable characters: the devout Christian Aunt Mariana, a lustful widow, a witch and her dog, a drunken cousin, the two unmarried daughters of the white American missionary and Zara, Mamo’s bold and thoughtful lover.