Leaving before the rains come

So, there was one thing our group (mostly) agreed on: Alexandra Fuller is a lyrical writer. Her use of language, of words blew most of us away. That being said, the content of the book was magical as well. It's not often that a reader can read about malaria, charging elephants, the market crash and African life in the same book. The author "teases" us with small descriptions of events, not fully describing them, and alluding to later (and earlier) thoughts and actions. It may help some readers to read the author's two other books, Don't let's go to the dogs tonight: an African Childhood and Cocktail hour under the tree of forgetfulness. Many events alluded to, or glossed over are explained more fully in the two previous books. But in this book, the author really lets us know about herself, and how her parents, and the environment she grew up in affected her as an adult. Mental illness plays a large role in Fuller's life, and she says more than once that she fears it becoming a reality in her own life. She is drawn to drama, and sometimes seems lost without it. An example: when her husband Charlie is severely injured in an accident, she springs into action, making sure he is flown to the best hospital to tend his injuries. Drama makes her focus, and get things done. As the economy is crashing, Fuller works and works, trying to save her home, as well as her marriage. This is a woman who wrote nine novels, all of which were rejected by publishers. She succeeded when she wrote about what she knew best: family, and growing up in Africa. I would like to ready one of those novels, though.