"An absorbing account of Aminatta Forna's family and life:
the joy and difficulties her parents faced in their early days, the ambitions
and triumphs of later years, and the disappointment and tragedy that befell the
family in the turbulence that almost overwhelmed the nation... Eloquent without
recrimination, and truthful without rancour." –
Abdulrazak Gurnah, Novel Laureate "Aminatta Forna's quest is urgent
and heroic. She must face down a brutal war that deprived her of a beloved
father and country. She must redeem those losses by pursuing justice in every
form: political, cultural, and spiritual. We follow her from childhood to
adulthood, from Sierra Leone to England, from indictment to elegy. This is a
searing and wise memoir." –
Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland and Constructing a
Nervous System "There were times while reading this beautiful book when I
had to ask myself whether I was holding my breath from the beauty of the
language, or from the events unfolding on the page. Moving and provocative,
The
Devil that Danced on Water is at once an impassioned eulogy for a father,
and a daughter's brave and relentless examination of what led to his death.
Formidably talented and fiercely intelligent, Aminatta Forna reminds us, in a
way that few others can, that reckoning with the past can render a form of
justice, no matter the distance and years." –
Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King, shortlisted for the
Booker Prize ''Forna has written a profound, moving elegy not only to her
heroic father, but also to the dashed dreams of Africa's independence.
Sharp-eyed, but always compassionate, she plaits national tragedy with the
delightful details of a seventies childhood, comic cultural confusions with the
anguish of parental break-up, diplomatic glamour with clinical descriptions of
the horrors of civil war. This is also a thrilling journalistic investigation
that digs through layers to expose government corruption, collusion and moral
disintegration. A classic of trauma and resilience that through its clarity,
depth and intellectual integrity, expands our understanding of
humanity.'' –
Leila Aboulela, author of Minaret and River
Spirit"We could place [Forna's] memoir of Sierra Leone alongside Nega Mezlekia's Notes from the Hyena's Belly, about Ethiopia, or Rian Malan's My Traitor's Heart, about South Africa. All these remarks would be accurate enough, but they would fail to capture what The Devil That Danced on the Water most certainly is: a masterpiece that makes sense of senselessness." – Lorraine Adams, The Washington Post
"Forna has written a book that is impossible to forget, or to confuse with any other memoir of tyrannical times...This is an obsessive, driven, refreshing book about Africa, despotism and exile. It is also a beautifully drawn portrait of childhood, and the ruses, stratagems, and sheer bloody-mindedness that Aminatta used to keep her young self safe, and sane in a world ruled by murder, marriage and constant movement."– Christopher Hope, The Washington Post
"Harrowing...Forna writes with a compelling mix of distance and anguish, intent on explaining her father's death and reclaiming his memory. Lush descriptions of her idyllic childhood provide eerie counterpoint to the chilling depictions of the hell Sierra Leone had become upon her return in recent years...Reminiscent of Isabelle Allende'sHouse of the Spirits, Forna's work is a powerfully and elegantly written mix of complex history, riveting memoir and damning expose."– Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"An African memoir unlike any before it."–The Economist
"The Devil that Danced on the Water is an impressive contribution to the literature of post-colonial Africa, the mysterious continent that continues to resist all attempts to remake it in a Western image."– Jason Cowley, The Times, Book of the Week
