Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37380 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

GILLIAN SLOVO, author of Every Secret Thing
'An engrossing account of pain, love and discovery that had the capacity not only to make me understand but also to move me to tears'

Review
'This is a book of quite extraordinary power and beauty. Aminatta Forna has excavated not only her memory but the hidden recesses of the heart.' Fergal Keane 'An extraordinary and gripping story!Aminatta Forna's book glows with compassion. A modern classic, of which her courageous father would have been proud.' Peter Gowin, author of 'Mukiwa' 'An engrossing account of pain, love and discovery that had the capacity not only to make me understand but also to move me to tears' Gillian Slovo, author of 'Every Secret Thing' 'I had tears in my eyes almost the whole way through, although it is the least sentimental of books!Aminatta Forna manages, quite brilliantly, to evoke not only all the honour and pity that is in her family's story, but its beauty and tenderness too.' Katie Hickman, author of 'Daughters of Britannia'

GILLIAN SLOVO, author of Every Secret Thing
'An engrossing account of pain, love and discovery that had the capacity not only to make me understand but also to move me to tears'

Customer Reviews

Clashing Cultures
A story of cultures clashing and blending. Beautifuly written by a talented writer who is a product of two of these cultures.

Dr. Forna, Aminetta's father, a surgeon from Sierra Leone, met and married her Scottish mother when studying in Aberdeen. Aminetta recalls an early childhood in Scotland as well as a later childhood in Sierra Leone. With a blend of tenderness and harsh reality she remembers the best and the worst of these experiences.

Characters once thought to be mean and threatening are recognised through more mature eyes to be simply those who thwarted a childhood insistence on having everything her own way. Scoundrels are recognised, but with a keen insight into the human frailties that make them such.

Dr. Forna's love for his country led him to accept a leadership role in governing it. It is Aminetta Forna's search for the facts surounding his rise and eventual tragic fall that is the essence of this narrative.

Not only a talented observer Ms. Forna has a knack for exquisite expression in relating the facts uncovered.

As a reader I found myself giving a great sigh as I concluded the final page late at night feeling I had personally lived every instance.

Emmett Evans
British Virgin Islands

Courageous and inspiring
I enjoyed this book for several reasons. Firstly the quality of the writing which captures the essence of an African childhood and beautifully portrays events through the eyes of a child, without loosing any of the journalistic rigour.

Secondly the sadness and the depth of the central story itself and the strength of mind it must have taken to revisit such a painful past, to seek out the truth.

It is a truly good read, I could not put it down, Even when I had finished I wondered about the impact of this story not only on one woman, but on a country.

Yesterday and Today in Sierra Leone
Aminatta Forna seamlessly links the Sierra Leone of the 50's and 60's with the 90's and in so doing gives the reader the beginnings of an understanding of the reasons for the turmoils in that country. Reading this book was the catalyst to further research to understand the issues in Sierra Leone today. You do need to have an eye for detail as the latter part of the book does introduce, from necessity a whole host of characters who in turn were willing to discuss their part in the fate of Aminatta's gifted doctor father. An excellent read which brings you right into the family of Aminatta as a young child in Africa and Scotland, and latterly into her life as a successful British journalist living in London and researching in Sierra Leone.