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A review by emilybutynski
The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian
3.0
Chris Bohjalian’s books generally go over my head. I end up taking them mostly at face value, whether or not that’s what he intended. I enjoyed this book very much, more than some of his other books that I’ve read recently. I thought the story, setting, and characters were all very interesting. I didn’t like some of the plot points, but that’s on me, because I like a happily ever after.
Famous actress Katie Barstow brings her new husband and seven other people with her on an African safari honeymoon in 1964. (Having just read another book set in 1960s Hollywood, maybe I should have chosen to read another book first, but this one was so different from the last one, though they did both feature the Chateau Marmont.) She brings along her brother, his wife, her best friend and her husband, her agent and publicist, and her make best friend. They are set to go on a photo safari with the legendary Charlie Patton, who was once a famous hunter. Unfortunately, the safari is ill-fated.
Each chapter bounces back and forth between the present-day events of the safari and flashbacks to earlier days, both in Africa and before the trip. The flashbacks continue throughout the book, and I understand many readers didn’t appreciate this, as most books discontinue the flashbacks after giving the reader enough background and amping up the action. Other readers may have felt that just as the action, or something interesting was happening, they were brought back to something less exciting. But personally, I disagree. As the action gets more exciting, I looked forward to the flashbacks as a way to recover from some of the sadder or more gruesome scenes. The background helped me appreciate what was going on in Africa.
Stop here for spoilers ***
Though the travelers have been on safari for a time, the book essentially begins with the attack on their camp. The guests are taken captive by people they assume are Russian and they are separated into two groups. They’re driven away in Land Rovers, and leave behind one member of the travel party, all of the porters and rangers and helpers, as well as Charlie Patton himself.
Soon, we find out that while trying to be courageous, Peter Merrick was killed by a leopard. (And then there were eight.) That was the first death. I knew that not everyone would survive to return to the US, but reading about Peter’s death was a little appalling. But that was just the beginning.
Meanwhile, the two vehicles carrying passengers separate. One vehicle consists of two guards, Carmen, her husband Felix, and Reggie. The three of them manage to overtake the two guards, but in the process they roll the Land Rover and Felix is shot. (And then there were seven.) Reggie and Carmen leave the three bodies behind in the vehicle and fight for survival with limited supplies. Carmen spends the night on a branch in a dead baobab tree, but Reggie cannot climb it as he has hurt his leg, so he rests at the base. They have just about made it through the night when they are attacked by hyenas. Reggie’s arm is nearly bitten off, but Carmen comes out mostly unscathed. Unfortunately, Reggie eventually dies from his injuries. (And then there were six.) Carmen gets the idea to light the baobab tree on fire, and it acts as a flare. Thankfully, a small plane spots it, and her, and she is rescued by Charlie Patton and a group of rangers.
The larger group of travelers is taken to a collection of mud huts. They’re separated into individual huts and tied up. Eventually they each get escorted to use the bathroom and are given some food and water. The leader, with his bright blue eyes, nicknamed Cooper, assists Katie’s sister-in-law, Margie, as she is pregnant. He unties her and she reveals she has a cut that appears infected. Cooper goes to get medical supplies, but Margie has a miscarriage. She is taken out of the camp via vehicle in a rush, and never returns. Cooper later says that though they tried to help her, she just wouldn’t stop bleeding. (And then there were five.)
Katie’s male best friend, Black actor Terrance, tries to overtake some of the guards. He successfully gets a gun from one, killing him, takes another hostage, and gets David untied. But David seems to be in shock and isn’t much help. Cooper and the guards overtake him. Cooper tells David that he will he going to a prison is Moscow so the KGB can interview him about his father’s role in the CIA (even though David knows next to nothing). David finally reacts to Cooper, trying to attack him, but one of the guards shoots him before he can do any damage. (And then there were four.)
The next day, Cooper gets Katie to cooperate with him and have her photo take and write a note to the people he wants to pay a ransom. Then the remaining travelers are loaded into a vehicle and they leave the camp (later it’s revealed they were going to the designated location to retrieve the ransom). Katie still doesn’t know that Margie and David are dead, and Billy and Terrance have been instructed not to tell her. The vehicle breaks down when it goes over a big gap in the road, popping a tire and breaking the rear axle. While trying to fix it, one of the guards is bitten by a poisonous snake and quickly dies. Then three on two, Billy and Terrance overtake Cooper and the other guard with Katie’s help. Unfortunately, Terrance is shot in the struggle. (And then there were three.)
Cooper finally reveals he is actually a Russian colonel, and then his plan. His sister Nina falsely defected from Russia and gave David a painting to sell in his gallery. Nina slept with David while he and Katie were just starting to date. Then, while they were engaged, David slept with a waitress at a nearby diner, and the Russians blackmailed David into helping them with their kidnapping plan. He also tells Katie that David was supposed to go to a prison in Moscow.
The epilogue is written from Carmen’s point of view, and says that while she returned to making movies, she never remarried, and neither did Katie. Katie didn’t make any more movies. Billy, however, did remarry, and eventually wrote a book that included some of the information about their failed African safari.
I was very moved by this book and its characters. I really wanted to love Katie Barstow, and I thought more of the book would be about her, but Carmen Tedesco turns out to be the real heroine. I expected that Charlie Patton was going to be the turncoat, not David. This book was definitely a change from what I usually read, but I liked it. I am a great admirer of Chris Bohjalian and I’ll definitely be making my way through his long list of published books until his next one is released!
Famous actress Katie Barstow brings her new husband and seven other people with her on an African safari honeymoon in 1964. (Having just read another book set in 1960s Hollywood, maybe I should have chosen to read another book first, but this one was so different from the last one, though they did both feature the Chateau Marmont.) She brings along her brother, his wife, her best friend and her husband, her agent and publicist, and her make best friend. They are set to go on a photo safari with the legendary Charlie Patton, who was once a famous hunter. Unfortunately, the safari is ill-fated.
Each chapter bounces back and forth between the present-day events of the safari and flashbacks to earlier days, both in Africa and before the trip. The flashbacks continue throughout the book, and I understand many readers didn’t appreciate this, as most books discontinue the flashbacks after giving the reader enough background and amping up the action. Other readers may have felt that just as the action, or something interesting was happening, they were brought back to something less exciting. But personally, I disagree. As the action gets more exciting, I looked forward to the flashbacks as a way to recover from some of the sadder or more gruesome scenes. The background helped me appreciate what was going on in Africa.
Stop here for spoilers ***
Though the travelers have been on safari for a time, the book essentially begins with the attack on their camp. The guests are taken captive by people they assume are Russian and they are separated into two groups. They’re driven away in Land Rovers, and leave behind one member of the travel party, all of the porters and rangers and helpers, as well as Charlie Patton himself.
Soon, we find out that while trying to be courageous, Peter Merrick was killed by a leopard. (And then there were eight.) That was the first death. I knew that not everyone would survive to return to the US, but reading about Peter’s death was a little appalling. But that was just the beginning.
Meanwhile, the two vehicles carrying passengers separate. One vehicle consists of two guards, Carmen, her husband Felix, and Reggie. The three of them manage to overtake the two guards, but in the process they roll the Land Rover and Felix is shot. (And then there were seven.) Reggie and Carmen leave the three bodies behind in the vehicle and fight for survival with limited supplies. Carmen spends the night on a branch in a dead baobab tree, but Reggie cannot climb it as he has hurt his leg, so he rests at the base. They have just about made it through the night when they are attacked by hyenas. Reggie’s arm is nearly bitten off, but Carmen comes out mostly unscathed. Unfortunately, Reggie eventually dies from his injuries. (And then there were six.) Carmen gets the idea to light the baobab tree on fire, and it acts as a flare. Thankfully, a small plane spots it, and her, and she is rescued by Charlie Patton and a group of rangers.
The larger group of travelers is taken to a collection of mud huts. They’re separated into individual huts and tied up. Eventually they each get escorted to use the bathroom and are given some food and water. The leader, with his bright blue eyes, nicknamed Cooper, assists Katie’s sister-in-law, Margie, as she is pregnant. He unties her and she reveals she has a cut that appears infected. Cooper goes to get medical supplies, but Margie has a miscarriage. She is taken out of the camp via vehicle in a rush, and never returns. Cooper later says that though they tried to help her, she just wouldn’t stop bleeding. (And then there were five.)
Katie’s male best friend, Black actor Terrance, tries to overtake some of the guards. He successfully gets a gun from one, killing him, takes another hostage, and gets David untied. But David seems to be in shock and isn’t much help. Cooper and the guards overtake him. Cooper tells David that he will he going to a prison is Moscow so the KGB can interview him about his father’s role in the CIA (even though David knows next to nothing). David finally reacts to Cooper, trying to attack him, but one of the guards shoots him before he can do any damage. (And then there were four.)
The next day, Cooper gets Katie to cooperate with him and have her photo take and write a note to the people he wants to pay a ransom. Then the remaining travelers are loaded into a vehicle and they leave the camp (later it’s revealed they were going to the designated location to retrieve the ransom). Katie still doesn’t know that Margie and David are dead, and Billy and Terrance have been instructed not to tell her. The vehicle breaks down when it goes over a big gap in the road, popping a tire and breaking the rear axle. While trying to fix it, one of the guards is bitten by a poisonous snake and quickly dies. Then three on two, Billy and Terrance overtake Cooper and the other guard with Katie’s help. Unfortunately, Terrance is shot in the struggle. (And then there were three.)
Cooper finally reveals he is actually a Russian colonel, and then his plan. His sister Nina falsely defected from Russia and gave David a painting to sell in his gallery. Nina slept with David while he and Katie were just starting to date. Then, while they were engaged, David slept with a waitress at a nearby diner, and the Russians blackmailed David into helping them with their kidnapping plan. He also tells Katie that David was supposed to go to a prison in Moscow.
The epilogue is written from Carmen’s point of view, and says that while she returned to making movies, she never remarried, and neither did Katie. Katie didn’t make any more movies. Billy, however, did remarry, and eventually wrote a book that included some of the information about their failed African safari.
I was very moved by this book and its characters. I really wanted to love Katie Barstow, and I thought more of the book would be about her, but Carmen Tedesco turns out to be the real heroine. I expected that Charlie Patton was going to be the turncoat, not David. This book was definitely a change from what I usually read, but I liked it. I am a great admirer of Chris Bohjalian and I’ll definitely be making my way through his long list of published books until his next one is released!