“The Memory of Love” by Aminatta Forna, available from Rivershare libraries
I don’t remember where or when I first heard of this book, but I remember thinking that I would love it. As it turns out, I was right.
Shortly after the end of hostilities, psychologist Adrian Lockheart travels from his home in London to Sierra Leone to help people suffering from the effects of a long and bloody civil war. There he meets Kai, a young surgeon, and Elias Cole, an elderly patient. As Adrian befriends Kai and acts as a kind of confessor to Elias, he discovers that both men hold secrets they would rather not come to light.
At the outset, the story is a bit hard to follow. The reader is dropped into one of Elias’s recollections in the first chapter, while the second chapter follows Adrian. It took me about four chapters (approximately 30 pages) to get accustomed to the alternating format, and get a feel for who the characters are. After those initial chapters, I was hooked.
I loved Forna’s writing: fluid and descriptive, it makes the story that much more heartbreakingly beautiful. A brief warning, however. This is not a book that can be easily read if the room is full of distractions. So sequester yourself in a quiet room, bring your reading A-game, and enjoy.
“The Memory of Love” will appeal to lovers of literary fiction, those who enjoy stories of modern history or post-colonial African history, and those who enjoy subtle mystery centered on individual characters.
“Can’t cook but doesn’t bite”.
Stewart O’Nan has been called the “bard of the working class”. He loves writing about those who normally have no voice, the ones other authors (or publishers) think aren’t interesting enough. Years ago I read his “A Prayer for the Dying” (FIC ONAN) and it has stuck with me ever since as being one of those compelling pageturners where black and white answers will never be an option. His writing style can’t be categorized–it changes with every book.
Major Ernest Pettigrew is retired and lives a quiet life in a small village in the English countryside. He values all things British - tea time, great literature, and, above all, proper decorum. His son, Roger, flies into town from London every once in a while – just long enough to upset the quiet life-style the Major has come to enjoy but not long enough to form a bond with his father.