Ancestral Truths: A Novel

by Sara Maitland

Unable to recall the accident on Mount Nyangani in which another hiker died and she injured her hand, Clare returns to Scotland, where her large, loving, and nosey family becomes unbearable

Genres: Fiction, Scotland, Death, Adult Fiction

295 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 1993

About the author

Sara Maitland is a British writer and academic. An accomplished novelist, she is also known for her short stories. Her work has a magic realist tendency. Maitland is regarded as one of those at the vanguard of the 1970s feminist movement, and is often described as a feminist writer. She is a Roman Catholic, and religion is another theme in much of her work.

Reviews

[Pammie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book came to me highly recommended but I found it both strange and disappointing. The book's central question is whether or not the main character pushed her lover off a mountain in Zimbabwe...and that question is never answered. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this unless you have lots of extra time or you're simply curious.

[Edna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit tedious while describing each sibling's character traits but the story becomes more interesting and more captivating when Clare tries to recall what happened while climbing Mount Nyangani with her sadomasichistic lover. Her family needs to know, did she or didn't she push him over the edge?

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

"
There were three possible reasons given for the disappearance of the two hikers on Mount Nyangani: the treacherous terrain and climate; the MNR guerrillas; the unforgiving spirit Chirikudzi. In David's case there was a fourth--that Clare might have killed him.

"Intricate in design and disturbing in its explorations of mind and spirit, with a surprising twist at the end, Ancestral Spirits employs a striking narrative voice to explore the shifting relations between belief and truth, love and desire, to reveal that beauty and danger walk hand in hand."
~~back cover

14 pages in, I just couldn't connect with this book.

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give it 2.5 stars. Something happens to Clare and her boyfriend in Zimbabwe. David is gone and Clare is missing her right hand. There's questions as to whether she remembers what happened or not. The story of her in Africa is blended with the story of her childhood as well as spending the holiday in Scotland with her extended family. I loved the scenes in Scotland and makes me miss it so much. There were some parts that dragged on for me.

[Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like how the story in this book unfolds. The lives of family and individuals and how they weave together. How we each deal with traumas. How much we hear, feel, and see without the other knowing that we can. So much perception revealed throughout, but disappointed that it did not carry through in the ending.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't bad writing just couldn't get into it. Gave it over 100 pages.

[Krista]

I read once that the first five pages of a book are a promise from the author to the reader. I don't think the ending of this book fulfilled the promise because you never do find out if Clare pushed her husband off the cliff. It doesn't mean you shouldn't read the book but you should know that you'll be reading it for the journey, not for the solution of the mystery.