Historical Fiction -- 3 1/2 stars
A telling of how Dr. Livingston's body and papers were carried across 1500 miles of Africa so that he and life's work could be returned to England. ----- Much has been written about Dr. Livingston's attempt to find the source of the Nile. Instead of focusing on Livingston, who becomes a shadow in the background in her book, Ms. Gappah has instead focused on creating the nameless Africans who served him in life and in death. Told through journal entries, this is a supremely illuminating tale exposing the hypocrisy of Western opposition to slavery and the strength of nineteenth-century African tribal culture. Ultimately, it is a story of the love and respect those who knew him best had for the intrepid explorer. The sections told by Halima, Dr. Livingston's cook, read as raw and honest, and sometimes very funny. The sections written by Jacob Wainwright, a freed slave turned wannabe Christian missionary, made me want to reach through the pages and smack him...hard. A relaxed pace and some unavoidable repetition weakened my awe of their eventual feat. Through it all, the African continent prevails as the main character, a living, breathing thing, fascinating in all it's glory.
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