Readings

I seem to read, at random, books that seem to be closely allied: A while back I read "A Long Way Home: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier." Recently, I finished Alexandra Fuller's, "Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier." Fuller's book is beautifully written and is a journey into the history of a man known to the reader only as "K," who also happens to be an ex-soldier of the conflicts in Southern Africa. His tale is heart breaking and told unflinchingly in vivid colour by Fuller. There is a problem with this memoir: In order to get "K" to open up to her Fuller allows K to think that she is as "in love" with him as he is with her. It is never clear whether Fuller was unhappy with her husband in the U.S., in love with K, or merely allowing K to think that she is the one for him in order to coax his story out of him. She does, however, have the decency to cover K's true identity by not naming him in this book. Well worth a read despite my moral hand wringing.

I have also been reading a work of science fiction by Jack McDevitt called "The Engines of God." The first and last book that I read by McDevitt was also in the series of "Priscilla Hutchins Novels." I normally avoid multiple novels held together by a repeating character because they, in my experience, end up being rehashes of the initial successful novel even if ably written. Having said that, if all you want is a good romp (read) than this book will do the trick. Like his other novel ("Chindi")which I read previously, "The Engines of God," was a repetition of the archaelogical-space-mystery-adventure which I had experienced before...I may yet give another one of McDevitt's books a try as he has some powerful reviewers on his side.

Lastly, I have just picked up M.G. Vassanji's, "A Place Within." It is a travelogue by this Tanzanian born, Ismaili writer who goes to India, his ancestral homeland, to discover....well, I'm not sure as I haven't read the book yet. Nevertheless, you can't go wrong with Vassanji -- a two-time winner of The Giller Prize and winner of the Governor General's Award too!