Alexandra Fuller

Alexandra Fuller is a beautiful writer. Her life has been a series of traumatic incidents that would damage anyone, and at the end of the day, she is better suited for dealing with chaos and crisis than she is for prosperity and peace. I feel like she and her husband were just too far apart culturally to ever really mesh. This story of the dissolution of a marriage is a little disorganized, but perhaps that is an accurate reflection of their relationship. Of any relationship. I think one has to read her first memoir Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight to appreciate this one. There is pain on every page, as Fuller realizes that no matter how much she loves her husband, she can't be with him and also be herself.… (lisätietoja)

This isn't a typical memoir, but rather almost an autobiography told in a series of snapshots of the author's growing up in Africa. There isn't a lot of introspection. She just presents things as they are/were, herself included. And although she and her family are white, and essentially colonizers continuing the incursion of the British Empire (until the African colonies won their various wars of independence), she is also a true child of Africa, having spent her entire childhood and young adulthood there. And although she and her family were better off than the local Africans, by any other standard they were living in squalid poverty.

The racism and colonialism come through loud and clear without Fuller having to make an issue of it, as does her mother's alcoholism and mental illness, but that's not really what this story is about. It's the story of a dysfunctional, unconventional family, made more so by their geographical and economic circumstances, and yet there was love and a strong familial bond. She doesn't apologize for her parents' and her own (learned) racism, but we do see her become more aware and responsible as she grows older.

In addition, it's an homage to a land, a love story to one of the harshest places on the planet. And perhaps it's growing up in such harsh circumstance that makes Fuller's life at that time so vivid and so alive, and why she loves it to this day. This memoir is a complex story told in a deceptively simple manner. There's a lot to unpack, and Fuller leaves most of that unpacking to the reader.… (lisätietoja)

This well-written memoir of a young white girl growing up in Africa (Zimbabwe, Malawi and the Zambia) was a treat. The author really brings to life the setting and culture of the place well. She captures the dialogue, the mentality of local workers and a bit of the political landscape. Her family lives through unstable and sometimes violent times, before and after independence. This contributed to the already harsh environment of hot and impoverished Africa. Though not well off, her whiteness sets her and her family apart as privileged compared to many of the locals. But the author begins to recognize this and the previously-not-questioned prejudice, as she matures. A notable aspect of the book is the issue of growing up with an alcoholic mother with mental health issues in the context of bereavement.… (lisätietoja)