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Original poster

Books set in africa?

64 replies

FuzzzyDuckosaurus · 06/06/2012 23:18

Looking for recommendations on books similar to 'a thousand splendid suns', 'half a yellow moon' etc.
Really enjoyed these and a few others buy the same authors and looking for some new ones.
Thanks

OP posts:
mayaswell · 11/06/2012 14:54

My DH really enjoyed 'Africa - Altered States, Ordinary Miracles' by Richard Dowden. Not a novel obviously but a good read.

exexpat · 09/06/2012 10:57

Oops, just read more of thread and realised Achebe was mentioned already. Essential reading.

exexpat · 09/06/2012 10:55

I'd second a lot of the ones already recommended - Last King of Africa (& others by Giles Foden), Poisonwood Bible, Memory of Love, Brazzaville Beach (& others by Boyd).

Has no one mentioned classics like Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart'? I think that was one of the first African novels by an African to be widely read in the UK.

BarkisIsWilling · 09/06/2012 10:45

See here, too.

NoOnesGoingToEatYourJubileeyes · 08/06/2012 13:59

Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd. It is a fantastic, wonderful, wonderful book.

elkiedee · 08/06/2012 13:52

I enjoyed the Wainana article. One of his books was serialised on the radio and it's on my huge wishlist of Kindle books, but I will find a copy at some point (may have to search library catalogues now as I have to curb my spending on books)

KurriKurri · 08/06/2012 13:42

William Boyd has a couple set in Africa - A Good Man in Africa, and An Ice Cream War - both good reads.

NicknameTaken · 08/06/2012 11:37

Also there's a young Ethiopian-American writer you might like, Dinaw Mengistu.

NicknameTaken · 08/06/2012 11:36

There's a lot of good non-fiction about Africa:

Agree with Hartley's The Zanzibar Chest, mentioned above.

Towards Asmara, by Thomas Keneally (fiction). If you like that one, Justin Hill's Ciao, Asmara is interesting in terms of what happened after the war was won in Eritrea.

Paul Theroux's Dark Star Safari - irritating but intriguing.

Might be hard to get hold of, but I really like a young Kenyan writer called Binyavanga Wainana. I love his short memoir, Discovering Home, but you might like this article by him about cliches in writing about Africa: see here

DialMforMummy · 07/06/2012 19:32

A Sunday at the pool in Kigali by Gil Courtemanche. Awfully depressing account of the genocide in Rwanda but worthwhile reading.
The constant gardener is great in book and in film (though the book is superior).

Abzs · 07/06/2012 19:23

Second for Blood River - one mad english journalist travels the length of the Congo.

Also for Le Carre's The Constant Gardener.

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series. Engaging at the time but not sure I'd read them twice.

BikeRunSki · 07/06/2012 19:04

Travels With My Aunt - Graham Greene

IAmSherlocked · 07/06/2012 18:58

Dare I suggest Heart of Darkness as well??

IAmSherlocked · 07/06/2012 18:57

I came on to suggest Nervous Conditions - brilliant depiction of the conflict of growing up with western and African influences.

Anthills of the Savannah by Achebe is really very good too.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 07/06/2012 18:53

Fuzzy a few years ago by dp and I decided to take a bit of time out from real life and went travelling - we managed to take in South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique and Malawi and they were all truly amazing places to visit. I would recommend SA in particular as it has so much going for it - history, culture, nature, beaches, shopping, nightlife - its like 10 destinations in 1. Sorry everyone - gone off topic, just very enthusiastic about the subject! Smile

Itsjustafleshwound · 07/06/2012 18:45

Godwin - when a Crocodile eats the sun; Mukiwa
Aiden Hartley - Zanzibar Chest
Diamonds, Gold and War
Shirley Goodness and Mercy - Chris van Wyk
All Under Heaven - Darryl Accone
My Traitor's Heart - Rian Malan

elkiedee · 07/06/2012 18:44

I loved Forna's The Memory of Love and her first novel Ancestor Stones is a good read, both set in Sierra Leone. Cutting for Stone is also a fantastic read, a lot of it set in Ethiopia

Leila Aboulela, Lyrics Alley (Sudan)
Irene Sabatini, The Boy Next Door (Zimbabwe/South Africa)
Hisham Matar, In the Country of Men (Libya I think)
Lauren Liebenberg, The West Rand Jive Cats Boxing Club (historical novel, set in 1950s Rhodesia)
Pettina Gappah, An Elegy for Easterly
Nadine Gordimer, lots of novels and short stories - South Africa - has been writing since the 1950s and has just published No Time Like the Present

TheLightPassenger · 07/06/2012 18:38

Deon Meyer writes well written thrillers set in South Africa.

claraschu · 07/06/2012 18:31

Disgrace was amazing, but just so painful that i couldn't bear to finish it.
I loved Things Fall Apart.

sleeplessinderbyshire · 07/06/2012 18:23

Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

The Memory of Love - Aminatta Forna

The Devil that Danced on the Water - Aminatta Forna

Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese

I also got heavily into fiction set Africa having read Half of a Yellow Sun and Purple Hibicus

Original poster
FuzzzyDuckosaurus · 07/06/2012 18:21

Thank you for new suggestions Smile

Yes Africa is my idea of 'wow'. Never cared that much for it before but then visited Kenya a few years ago and ever since then. The people, the culture, the wildlife... Amazing!

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EnglishGirlApproximately · 07/06/2012 18:17

Andre Brink - Dry White Season. Just downloaded Lower River by Paul Theroux- haven't read it yet but normally enjoy his work and in his travel writing does Africa beautifully so I have high hopes as this is set in Malawi.
If you like non fiction try Paul Theroux - Dark Star Safari, or Tim Butcher - Blood River. I too am fascinated by Africa and read anything Africa related I can get my hands on.

lashingsofbingeinghere · 07/06/2012 18:00

Lionel Shriver's Game Control is a controversial read about the ethics of population control in Africa. You'll either love it or hate it.

FuckerSnailInYourHedgerow · 07/06/2012 00:29

Marking my place now because I really need to get back into reading. I love the Poisonwood bible, it's one of my favourite books.

Original poster
FuzzzyDuckosaurus · 07/06/2012 00:00

Thanks chick Smile. I'm really fascinated with Africa as a whole. Enjoy reading/learning about it. First read thousand splendid suns (I know not Africa, but along same lines) then found a few others and have been hooked. Not picked up a good book in a good while now (think since I was preg!) so looking forward to a good read

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