Local author and artist, Faradji Ntare, recently released "A Faint-Hearted Boy Who Couldn’t Love”, a book that contains 40 narrative poems that when put together tell a short story of the boy being referred to in the title.

Ntare describes the book as "an encounter with our deepest fears and shortcomings, a search for love and forgiveness, and the courage to confront the inevitable challenges of life.”

The book portrays a story of a faint-hearted boy who couldn’t love until he met J. – a girl he claimed to be the love of his life. Still, he was facing a grave crisis of faith, in search of an opportunity to rewrite his own destiny.

Although J. was just another girl, she was no ordinary woman, at least not for the boy. The boy meets her and he knows, almost immediately, that she is who he has been searching for.

"For the boy, to find J. in such a busy city like Kigali, a city of over 1,208,000 people, well that would be explained by one thing – fate," said Ntare.

"This is a story of a boy who meets a girl, but you should know up front, this is not a love story. This book does not end in glory."

He reveals that it was a simple tribute of affection dedicated to J (a muse to his insanity); a manuscript made up of scraps of nothing but when put together, tells the story.

"It is a collection of tiny little things, and it was these tiny little things that collectively taught me how to live,” said Ntare. "When considered individually, they are too insignificant, but the little scraps and nothingness of my life have made a definite pattern. This manuscript tells you a story about it. A Faint-Hearted Boy Who Couldn’t Love marks Faradji Ntare's beginning. This is his story."

Some of the themes Ntare portrayed in the book include mental health, particularly depression, and its influence in people’s daily lives, explaining that it’s a hidden disease that affected him and continues to affect others.

"Depression isn’t always that girl that’s crying in the bathroom or the boy that’s always wearing clothes with long sleeves. It isn’t always the suicide notes and pill bottles. Sometimes, it’s all the smiles and good grades. Sometimes it’s the boy that’s always helpful and a girl you always borrow things from. Depression isn’t always that easy to notice," he said.

"Wake up and listen to the silent cries. Stigma is real and it will never go away until we realise that mental health is a big deal.”

Ntare says that he wants his artistry to empower people to push ahead their lives, and to stay infinitely more found than lost, more hopeful than hopeless and more fearless than afraid, adding that his book is a dedication to healing in all its forms.

Ntare started writing at a young age. He said he turned to poetry because it made him feel tough when he wasn’t.

"I started writing and pursuing this dream because I am convinced to the very core of my being that as long as I keep writing, my existence has a meaning,” he said.

People can get copies of 'A Faint-Hearted Boy Who Couldn’t Love' by reaching out to the author via Instagram: rugambantare or contact +250787065751.