Spiral Aloe: Deceit in Lesotho, Africa's Mountain Kingdom

by L.A. Forbes

Sarah's bored with her American life, as well as all the traffic and big box stores. She accepts a Peace Corps invitation to volunteer in exotic Lesotho in southern Africa. The idyllic, seven thousand foot mountain village of Malikeng has ambitious residents with limited choices. A pious neighbor brews homemade beer to sell at her backyard shebeen; a handsome neighbor grows dagga between rows of maize. Problems in the past were taken care of by the chief or the sangoma (traditional healer), but a new generation would rather do it their way---with consequences. Some decisions seem medieval to Sarah, and she's caught in a spiral of deceit as her first year progresses.

140 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I've had a peripatetic existence, by choice. I grew up in Montana, graduated from UW, Seattle in archeology and worked in The Philippines with Asian ceramics dating from the 10th to 19th centuries. From there I travelled independently to Tibet, China, Burma and Vietnam, often seeing places just opened to foreigners.

Next chapter was in southern Utah starting and running a successful business in Moab for seven years. I still love the Colorado Plateau area. From the southwest my husband and I moved to Lesotho, southern Africa and taught small business and HIV/AIDS prevention for two years. We've travelled into Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and all over South Africa.

I've resided in South Africa since 2004. I teach ESL (Cambridge CELTA certificate) and maths, working mostly with rural schools. The intense politics and disparities, coupled with stunning people, make RSA an amazing place to live.

I self-published "Spiral Aloe: Deceit in Lesotho, Africa's Mountain Kingdom", a work of fiction about that beautiful country.

Reviews

[Michael Gallagher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spiral Aloe: Deceit in Lesotho, Africa's Mountain Kingdom by L.A. Forbes
More a novella than a novel, Spiral Aloe plumbs the depths of some thorny issues in the developing world. Her canvas depicts an imaginary village in the mountains of an isolated country, Lesotho, located inside South Africa. The author manages the main plot introducing an American Peace Corps’ volunteer expertly. Various subplots, the AIDS epidemic, cultural disintegration, and emotional deceit are woven seamlessly together. Emotional and cultural tensions mount as the remote society progresses outside the scope of its traditional arbiter, the chief. Authentic characters flounder in an anchorless boat. The story is well written and edited but the amazing photos make it difficult to imagine that it is not autobiographical. With work fleshing out the various underlying intrigues and sprouting characters, there are the seeds of a great novel here. Perhaps even an embryonic V.S. Naipaul’s, Guerrillas, without the totally prevailing darkness, isolation and bitterness.
As an after thought, there is also a shade of July's People by Nadine Gordimer here.

[Kevis Hendrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spiral Aloe relates the account of Sarah, an American woman, who decides to become a Peace Corps. member to help the Basotho, an indigenous peoples from an African village. The story delves into the events that occur after Sarah’s arrival and how she and the villagers’ lives are all interconnected. We read about how experiences as she acclimates to her new home and ultimately her role in the villagers' lives. As the story progresses, events play out where Sarah becomes more entrenched with the villagers and begins to assert her influence, even when not necessarily wanted, in order to help them.

I particularly enjoyed the way the culture of the Basotho is presented and the use of their language within the text. Although there is a glossary at the end of the book, the reader has to guess at the meanings of the words. Fortunately, the words are usually self-explanatory and not hard to figure out. The subject of the AIDS pandemic that is currently ravaging Africa factors prominently in the storyline and adds substance to the tale.

Overall, the book is well written. It’s full of good, descriptive writing, convincing dialogue, and solid editing. The characters that Sarah interacts with are interesting and likeable. It was not difficult to empathize with the challenges they all faced in their daily lives. However, I was disappointed that a genuine plot did not emerge. The story loses some of its appeal due to the a-day-in-the-life narrative structure of the tale. It’s hard to get excited about a story where nothing of consequence happens. Had there been a real plot propelling events to a significant conclusion, this book would easily have gotten 5 stars from me. Alas, all the good writing in the world means nothing if there’s no emotional pay off at the end of a story. With that said, the Spiral Aloe is worth reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fiction with interesting characters, exotic locales, cultures, and a positive message.

3.5 stars.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Spiral Aloe” by L.A. Forbes was a good story...at first. I did get through the whole book, which was packed with action, deception, and plenty of side stories mingling with the main plot. A few things got a little tangled, but they seemed to be clearing up in the end of the story. Actually, let me put it this way: I was enthralled with this book until it ended- by which I mean, I don't get the ending at all. The story just stopped in what I assumed was the middle of the story. Nothing was resolved at all, and there was no indication of a follow up book. You know, no hints or cliff hangers, just a blunt ending. I'm still sitting here wondering if it actually ended...although I read the last bit twice through to make sure. Otherwise, the book really was great. The word choice was good, the story was entertaining, and the interesting cultural information was awesome. The ending just killed it for me though. While I appreciate authors taking the freedom of putting things in their own way, I would have just liked more completion to the ending. The dialogue was decent, the characters believable, and the story brought some very important topics into the spotlight. A good book, but just not for me.

[David McMullen-Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is basically about a small South African town, some of its people and an American woman who travels there via the Peace Corps. The author uses alot of local terms that I found to be completely foreign and that often went unexplained until further into the book (although by that time I had gotten the jist, but it made the story somewhat frustrating to read initially). I wouldn't say that Spiral Aloe had a plot per se. Its overall story structure felt more like "a day in the life". So you'd have to be a fan of that kind of format to get the full enjoyment of the story. In addition, some descriptions weren't clear enough for me to follow. The upside to the story is that the author uses her experiences in South Africa to give the reader a glimpse of life in an African village and the customs of its people, which can be interesting unto itself. Africa can offer any writer a rich canvas to paint upon. I certainly encourage L.A. Forbes to continue writing about Africa and its people.

[Glenda Bixler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and would like to share my thoughts, along with pics and excerpts at http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadershea...

[Alison]

kindle 158 (africa)