In a nutshell : an American baptist minister, his wife and their four daughters leave 1960s USA to live in the Congolese jungle in an attempt to convert the locals. This poignant history of a dysfunctional family is set against the background of 30 years of Congo's history and politics and its terrible fight for independence.
The blurb : written from the point of view of the mother and the four daughters, it starts as the day to day description of life in the Congolese jungle. The father's fanatical views become increasingly damaging to the family and their attempts to "settle in" and the hardship of the everyday gives way slowly to an incredible analysis of Congolese politics and culture. About halfway through the book time speeds up and twenty years of Congolese history and its bloody fight for independence are told through the eyes o those living it, whether they are part of the action or seing it from afar. Beautiful pace, incredible descriptions and real food for thought as it throws all our western references out of the window to describe the hardships of life out there.
IMHO this is one of the best books ever written. Good anytime any place, it is a heartbreaking story of a family but also a lesson in tolerance and politics. It covers religious fanatism, cultural racism, ethnocentrism, and is a mix of anthropology, history and fiction. Must be read !
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