On 30 December 1977, shortly after the release of his play "I Will Marry When I Want", Ngugi was taken into custody by law enforcement officials and held without charges for questioning.

"[4] Despite the political tone to his novels, including Petals of Blood, Ngugi had avoided government interference until deciding to write in his native Gikuyu.

After the release of Petals of Blood, Ngugi wrote and began work on a Gikuyu language play called 'Ngaahika Ndeenda' (I Will Marry When I Want).

[6] The book begins by describing the four main characters – Munira, Karega, Wanja, and Abdulla – just after the revelation that three prominent Kenyans, two businessmen and one educator, have been killed in a fire.

However, Munira stays and, with the friendship of Abdulla, another immigrant to Ilmorog who owns a small shop and bar, carves out life as a teacher.

She too is escaping the city and begins to work for Abdullah, quickly reshaping his shop, and expanding its bar.

The year of her departure is not good for the village as the weather is harsh and no rain comes, making for a poor harvest.

In an attempt to enact changes, the villagers are inspired by Karega to journey to Nairobi in order to talk to their Member of Parliament.

Trying at another house, some of the villagers are rounded up and forced into the building where they are questioned by Kimeria, a ruthless businessman who reveals that he and their MP are in league with one another.

Development arrives in Ilmorog as the government begin to build the Trans-Africa road through the village, which brings an increase in trade.

Karega returns to Ilmorog, telling of his slow spiral into alcoholism before finally securing work in a factory.

The farmers are told that they should fence off their land and mortgage parts of it to ensure that they own a finite area.

Wanja plans to separate herself finally from the men who have exploited her during her life, wanting to bring them to her brothel with all of her prostitutes sent away so that she could present the downtrodden but noble Abdulla as her chosen partner.

In a religious fervour, he pours petrol on the brothel, sets it alight, and retreats to a hill to watch it burn.

Munira is sentenced with arson; later, Karega learns that the corrupt local MP was gunned down in his car whilst waiting for his chauffeur in Nairobi.

One primary underlining theme in Petals of Blood is the failure of the ruling Kenyan elite to adequately meet the needs of the people.

After the new postcolonial governments come to power, the leaders maintain their connections with the outgoing colonizers, thus marginalizing the everyman.

In the novel, the elite are portrayed as both government officials and businessmen who violate the villagers of Ilmorog in both passive and aggressive ways.

Wanja, who introduces the drink to Abdulla's bar, is then exploited by big business who forces her to stop her Thang'eta operation.

'[16] Agriculture is an important theme in Petals of Blood, most notably in the town of Ilmorog, an isolated, pastoral community.

[17] As she is portrayed as "the symbol of the nation",[18] the loss of her land to the new Kenyan elite is an important parallel with Ngugi's depiction of Kenya.

Munira is a teacher, but lacks strong abilities to guide his pupils, instead preferring to stand back and not to assert any of his own beliefs.

[22] Petals of Blood relies heavily on flashbacks, using the points of view of the four major characters to piece together previous events.

There is also a suggestion of a communal narrative voice, as Ngugi draws on the mythic past of Kenya to place the novel in a wider context than simply the colonial.

It was suggested that the social realism of the novel did not accurately represent or complement the socialist ideals put forth.

[26] John Updike suggested that Ngugi's desire to permeate the plot with political ideas detracts from his writing.