Great African Reads discussion

This thread is for discussions of our Sept/Oct 2019 read of The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna - Notice that there may be SPOILERS (Find the no-spoiler thread here) - Feel free to discuss anything you like about the book here: Here's a few questions to get you started:
How did you like the characters? The plot? The style? The portrayal of characters and their surroundings?

Susan (this is you)
239 books | 4 friends
see comment history The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna is not a light read – and not just because it is a long literary fiction book. The subject matter is heavy, including PTSD after Sierra Leone’s civil war, brutalities during the war, political and personal betrayals, and the hard realities of an orthopedic surgeon’s daily work and that of a psychologist in an under-resourced hospital. In contrast, there are lovely descriptions of the physical beauties of the country.

The plot unfolds through dual story lines. Before the war we learn about an academic historian who lusts after a colleagues wife; after the war we see the historian as an old man as a psychologist talks to him. The surgeon is a friend of the psychologist and the stories all come together. There are a number of well developed, complex characters.

I understand why this sweeping book was an award winner and many will give it five stars, but there was something missing for me. I never became fully engaged with any of the three male POV characters. I think the book was too long and sometimes it felt like a hard slog. Nonetheless I think it’s a major achievement.

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I'm at 90% now, plan to finish up in the next few days. I'm liking the book a lot at this point. I think the story is a pretty heavy one at times, well-told, and I mostly find the characters pretty engaging, with the exception maybe of Mama K and her father, Elias Cole- they don't seem to reveal themselves very much. I'll decide on my rating when I've finished.
I've been listening to the audiobook read/performed by Kobna Holbrook-Smith, who did a wonderful job.
I will probably read another of Forna's novels in the future, most likely her newest, Happiness. I've already confirmed that my local public libraries have it.

Hmm, I liked Mama K although, I suppose I didn't feel a lot more engaged with her than with any of the other characters. It's hard to define exactly what make a character engaging and I suspect one's mood at the time of reading has something to do with it. Will be curious how you rate it once you're finished.

I finally made it and read this wonderful book. Too late for the group discussion, but I am really happy to have read it anyway. It truly is a wonderful book. After the first 150 pages I was not able to put it down.

You can read my review here.

Maybe a minor point is the end, about the baby girl that somehow survived. I already found it strange that nothing was mentioned about the fate of the baby when Mamakay died. I just cannot imagine Adrian forgetting about the baby or leaving her behind in Sierra Leone.

Wim wrote: "I finally made it and read this wonderful book. Too late for the group discussion, but I am really happy to have read it anyway. It truly is a wonderful book. After the first 150 pages I was not ab..."

Glad you enjoyed it Wim.
My understanding is that Adrian left the baby to be raised by the young Sierra L. Doctor, Kai. I suppose he felt he couldn't bring the baby back to his English wife & children, and that the child would probably be better off in S. L. with Kai (who cancelled his plan to emigrate, evidently)

George P. wrote: "Wim wrote: "My understanding is that Adrian left the baby to be raised by the young Sierra L. Doctor, Kai. I suppose ..."

That's indeed a plausible explanation. I still found it a bit strange how the child was brought up in the end, as a surprise. Though it doesn't diminish this powerful novel that I really enjoyed.