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A review by babsellen
The Devil That Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Quest by Aminatta Forna
5.0
I loved this memoir. It was very moving, engaging and informative about the recent history of Sierra Leone, a country I knew nothing about. Forna is a gifted writer, and I look forward to reading her novels. This memoir was written to honor her father's memory and to put closure to the events and people surrounding his death.
Part I plunges us into Forna's quixotic childhood in Africa, Scotland and London. The chronology is scattered, which can be confusing for the reader, who yearns to know where she is at what age. All we can gather is that most of the first part she is age 0-10. We meet a host of characters important to her life, mostly family (including extended) but also family friends and employees who helped raise her and her siblings. I found the gorgeous use of language, stream of consciousness and even a bit of magic realism extremely enticing. All this and a decidedly compelling story.
Part II deals with the adult Aminatta's search for the truth of her father's mysterious death. Riddled with names and places, I found the writing quite tedious for the most part, with exciting plot-driven breaks in the monotony now and then. To be fair, I believe this author to be more at home in fiction writing, though this memoir with all her research is a tribute to her much beloved father and her only way of memorializing him. I think she has succeeded. By the end of her searching she has managed to appreciate the beauty of her country and its people amidst the horror and political violence.
Part I plunges us into Forna's quixotic childhood in Africa, Scotland and London. The chronology is scattered, which can be confusing for the reader, who yearns to know where she is at what age. All we can gather is that most of the first part she is age 0-10. We meet a host of characters important to her life, mostly family (including extended) but also family friends and employees who helped raise her and her siblings. I found the gorgeous use of language, stream of consciousness and even a bit of magic realism extremely enticing. All this and a decidedly compelling story.
Part II deals with the adult Aminatta's search for the truth of her father's mysterious death. Riddled with names and places, I found the writing quite tedious for the most part, with exciting plot-driven breaks in the monotony now and then. To be fair, I believe this author to be more at home in fiction writing, though this memoir with all her research is a tribute to her much beloved father and her only way of memorializing him. I think she has succeeded. By the end of her searching she has managed to appreciate the beauty of her country and its people amidst the horror and political violence.