The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna opened up the world of Sierra Leone to me. Knowing little about this country and the civil war it went through, I was eager to read Forna's novel which was highly praised.
The Memory of Love tells the story of lives after the war, lives that have been completely altered by the atrocities of the world. Adrian Lockheart is a British psychologist who has come to Sierra Leone to help the survivors deal with the post traumatic stress of their experiences, but he comes to learn so much more through his experience with his patients, a young doctor named Kai and a local lover.
Much of the narrative centers around Elias Cole, an ex-professor who falls in love with a co-worker's alluring wife, Saffia in the late 1960s. You learn much through the story of Elias and Forna brings together all of the characters in a climax that uncovers all the beauty and tragedy of Sierra Leone.
There were times when the descriptive language felt overwhelming, especially as we came closer to the answer to the intersecting stories.
Reading this as they activities of Egypt unfolded this year, made this book even more compelling as it almost felt as if I was reading about Egypt in a few years - but hopefully without the tragedy.
