Tropical Fish: Tales From Entebbe

by Doreen Baingana

In her fiction debut, Doreen Baingana follows a Ugandan girl as she navigates the uncertain terrain of adolescence. Set mostly in pastoral Entebbe with stops in the cities Kampala and Los Angeles, Tropical Fish depicts the reality of life for Christine Mugisha and her family after Idi Amin's dictatorship.

Three of the eight chapters are told from the point of view of Christine's two older sisters, Patti, a born-again Christian who finds herself starving at her boarding school, and Rosa, a free spirit who tries to "magically" seduce one of her teachers. But the star of Tropical Fish is Christine, whom we accompany from her first wobbly steps in high heels, to her encounters with the first-world conveniences and alienation of America, to her return home to Uganda.

As the Mugishas cope with Uganda's collapsing infrastructure, they also contend with the universal themes of family cohesion, sex and relationships, disease, betrayal, and spirituality. Anyone dipping into Baingana's incandescent, widely acclaimed novel will enjoy their immersion in the world of this talented newcomer.

*Winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book in the Africa region
*Winner of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Award Series in Short Fiction
*Winner of the Washington Writing Prize for Short Fiction
*Finalist for the Caine Prize in African Writing

Genres: Africa, Short Stories, Fiction, Uganda, African Literature, Contemporary, Literary Fiction

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Doreen Baingana is a Ugandan short story writer. Her book, Tropical Fish won the 2006 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, best first book, Africa, and an AWP Short Fiction Award.

She has graduated from Makerere University with a JD, and from the University of Maryland with an MFA. While at Makerere University Baingana was an active member of FEMRITE - Uganda Women Writers Association, which she has referred to as "a literary home of sorts".

Her work has appeared in AGNI, Glimmer Train, African American Review, Callaloo, The Guardian, and Kwani.

She currently resides in Uganda

Reviews

[M. Ainomugisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I read Doreen's book back in high school. Tropical Fish is an easy and entertaining read which encompasses beautifully told memories and a true reflection of the life of a young Ugandan girl in the lower middle class society of the country. Reading it felt like some parts of my childhood were being retold to me. Never related so much with a book. Worthy purchase.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tropical Fish é o primeiro livro da escritora ugandesa Doreen Baingana. É uma pequena colecção de contos, todos interligados, sobre a vida de uma família que vive em Entebbe, nos anos 80.

Christine, Patti e Rosa são as filhas de uma família relativamente abastada cujo pai, um alto funcionário do governo, se torna um alcoólico e perde tudo, a começar pelo emprego.
Elas são jovens mulheres que tentam encontrar o seu caminho na sociedade. Rosa procura conforto e apoio num grupo de amigos e nos braços de um jovem com quem tem uma relação secreta. Patti escolhe Deus ao mergulhar na sociedade dos born-again Christians. Christine procura o seu caminho em muitos lugares, incluindo os trilhos já escolhidos pelas irmãs mais velhas. A sua busca leva-a para os Estados Unidos da América enquanto procura distinguir-se e descobrir verdadeiramente quem ela é.

Como não é uma narrativa sequencial, a vida dos adolescentes no Uganda é vista através de fragmentos, que incluem temas tais como relações familiares e inter-raciais, sistemas de crenças, separação e coesão.
Baingana capta a forma como as pessoas comuns lidam com as duras e desoladoras realidades da vida no Uganda, um país que luta para recuperar de uma combinação devastadora de má governação política, corrupção e a epidemia de SIDA.

Embora seja um livro pequeno não é fácil de ler. O meu conto favorito foi A thank You Note por ter sido mais instigante do que os outros. No geral foi uma leitura interessante.



57/198 – Uganda

[Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este buen libro puede ser leído, así como se anuncia, tanto como cuentos o como novela. Aunque cada historia tiene su autonomía, cada una es una postal de algún momento de la infancia y juventud de las tres hermanas. Tal vez no alcanzaría para una novela, ya que no cuenta con una construcción que la unifique, y se observan diferencias de estilo y dramaticidad.

Las historias van avanzando hasta alcanzar su pico de dramatismo con Una carta de agradecimiento, para pasar después a un estilo más ligero, y terminando con Sobre el hogar, que parece más un comienzo que un final, y perfectamente podría haber sido el inicio de una novela autónoma. También, la riqueza de los personajes y las historias podría ser una buena base, para una de esas novelas monumentales, lo que personalmente me hubiera encantado leer, pero me habría dado mucha pereza escribir.

A pesar de lo que dicen los anticipos, Idi Amín Dada, el principal activo mediático de Uganda, por el cual algunos pueden llegar a diferenciar al país entre ese borrón que es África, el excéntrico dictador y cuco durante la década del '70, es mencionado sólo en forma colateral, lo cuál tiene el mérito de privilegiar la obra por sobre el marketing; y en particular tomando en cuenta que la mayor parte de la historia transcurre en la ciudad de Entebbe, donde los israelíes llevaron a cabo, en 1976, un legendario rescate de rehenes.

Un muy buen libro, con buenas historias y personajes, y un trasfondo de la realidad local, la convivencia entre la tradición y modernidad, el problema del SIDA, y el sueño y el juego del exilio dorado en EEUU.

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of eight short stories about the lives of three sisters as girls and young women growing up in Uganda. It's not an "awareness novel" - the stories are about relationships and the characters' inner lives, not "Africa issues," though one does deal with AIDS through a very personal lens. This was the most remarkable story in the collection to me, with more intense emotions than are found in the others. Overall, the writing is adequate, but I did not find this collection particularly noteworthy or memorable.

[Tayari Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd read Tropical Fish before, but I had forgotten just how brilliant Doreen is! I am forcing myself to choose only two stories for my packet, but I can't begin to choose. I love me some coming of age stories and her young narrators are aces. I know I'll end up using one of the epistolary stories because writing a letter that seems like a letter, but still tells a story is a complicated maneuver-- which Doreen pulls off not once, but twice in the collection.

So, here are the stories I am thinking of using and a little bit of summary.


•A Thank You Note This story is a letter from Rosa who is in the final stages of HIV to her lover, David. The letter is both personal and real, but at the same time really gives a reader a close look at the physical ravages of the disease and also the way that you can trace the spread of HIV to the complicated networks of culture.

•Hunger A formerly well-off girl in boarding school must beg for sugar from the "posh" girls. This is a dynamite look at class and entitlement. The ending put me in the mind of James Baldwin. So good I wanted to eat it.

•Tropical Fish The title story is a knock out. Christine, whom we meet as a girl in earlier stories, is grown up now and has fallen into a relationship with a British exporter of fish. It's about sex, power, race, and voice.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I've discovered this book here on GR - it didn't sound so very special, but as I have a personal interest in Uganda, I'd decided to read it, anyway, just for the cultural information - and I got so much more. Doreen Baingana is a unique voice, very deft at describing complex emotions and relationships, down-to-earth, very sincere, sometimes heart-breaking.

I hope she's going to tackle a novel or another set of connected short stories. Especially, the letter of Rosa to the lover who most probably infected her with AIDS, is extraordinary - moving, harsh, wild, provoking. I haven't read a braver confrontation of the topic yet. Very human, leaves me wanting more of this.

[Darkowaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

!!! https://africanbookaddict.com/2019/01...

[Njoki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want more!
I feel robbed, the stories were a little rushed.

[Erin Reilly-Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

While categorized as a set of short stories, this title reads more as set than individual stories as the same characters of three sisters reappear throughout all the stories. The technique of different voices and a variety of media such as a journal and a letter helps separate the voices to an extent but in many cases it is confusing as to who is speaking, perhaps suggesting that each sister is not as separate as one would assume and is instead different possible trajectories of one generic female Ugandan. However, the stories are specific glimpses instead of an overall description of life in Entebbe. I think this personalization allows a connection with characters, allowing introspection about stereotypes and cultures, that wouldn't develop if the author tried to make more general statements. With the rest of the stories reflecting the Idi Amin troubles so gently, the section on AIDS does seem to stand out profoundly from the rest of the book, sort of rambling on in some sort of possessed frenzy which may in the end be appropriate, but feels a little odd to me rather than fitting.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book is called a set of short stories with interconnected characters, it reads best as a whole. The book tells the stories of three sisters, focusing mostly on Christine with a couple of stories from Rosa and Patti. The writing is immensely powerful and the stories are extremely compelling. In particular, the stories tracing Christine's time working in the United States (in Los Angeles and Washington, DC) before returning to Uganda tell the story of identity, race, politics, diaspora, and power in an incredible way. The book also unflinchingly reflects the beginning of the AIDS epidemic and its effect on modern Uganda through the personal story of Rosa in a letter to a former lover. Highly recommended.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel in stories of 3 sisters in Uganda. A Thank You Note ( my vote for best sotry of the book) gives the true feeling of the AIDS crisis of the 80's in Africa that I have ever read.

[Jadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, a book for class. I'm not usually big on vignettes which is what this novel is, but these vignettes are very much connected. They focus around three sisters growing up in a village in Uganda and their coming of age. The ideas revolving around religion, culture, education, discrimination, etc that come up throughout the vignettes are portrayed in beautiful and emotional ways.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.maryokekereviews.blogspot....

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few authors can capture multiple themes and weave them so effortlessly.

[Erik Nygren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very vibrant writing. Without getting overly political nor losing focus from the plot, it does a great job setting the environment for a post-Idi Amin Uganda, and then delivers an interesting and surprising storyline from there.

Each chapter is essentially a quick glance into a phase of life for one of the book’s characters, and by the next chapter, the book has moved on to another era or a new stage of life. So it’s not a super cohesive story, they almost read like a bunch of essays but I found it hugely enjoyable and a bit different.

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find myself taken in by subtle phrases, utterances made by characters in books be in it reference to their environment or the other characters and so it was with this book.

As told from Christine's point of view, from growing up in Entebbe as a child, seeing her father lose himself to alcohol and their mother struggle to provide for them, the contrast between having and not having basic needs, of wanting more for oneself, of striving to be better than what you had and traversing continents while at it. This was a rather, *hits close to home* read for me.

[☕Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is essentially a collection of sequential, linked short stories. Like most short story collections, I enjoyed some stories more than others. Taken as a whole, though, I thought the book did a very effective job of conveying the history and culture of Uganda in a very satisfying and moving way. Overall a good read.

[Anetq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up, starving at school and finding yourself in Entebbe or LA, sex live and death. This is a collection of stories about three sisters - mostly Christine, the youngest - it seems like novels, but maybe it's chapters or something in between. I liked it, but it tilts to the side of less story, more thoughts that makes me impatient while reading it...

[Jimena González Lebrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Como buen sujeto colonial, me gusta pensar que tengo acento británico, el acento correcto».
___________________________
Patti, Rosa y Christine Mugisha son tres hermanas que crecieron en Entebbe, Uganda, en el seno de una familia de clase media de origen banyankore que tiene ciertos privilegios y que recibe cultura occidental. Acceden a escuelas secundarias bilingües donde rinden los exámenes británicos A-levels subsidiados por el Estado que le brinda a cierto sector de su población lo que considera una buena educación: blanca y occidental. Sin embargo, rinden los exámenes con un hambre que acapara el pensamiento. Hablar como un británico parece ser más importante.
«Peces tropicales» son ocho relatos que funcionan con autonomía pero que también son una novela. Las historias que transcurren en Uganda son un retrato de un país que atraviesa el régimen de Idi Amin y la «guerra económica», y donde conviven lo autóctono y tradicional, con la cultura occidental, los rastros del colonialismo y de la dictadura, con la modernidad.
Los relatos, por otro lado, que suceden en Los Ángeles narran la experiencia de migrar, de tener que aprender todo de cero y no ser más que una «negra africana» durante mucho tiempo. El contraste cultural, social y económico; encontrase con cuerpos diferentes, con los privilegios, conveniencias y comodidades subestimados, y con la alienación geográfica imborrable. También lo que implica volver a casa.
Me encantó. Leamos sobre África de ellos mismos.

[Savvy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece. I really enjoyed it. Hoped it was longer.

[Joslyn Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review from https://chronicbibliophilia.wordpress...

Christine Mugisha is a young girl coming of age in Uganda under the specter of Idi Amin’s terror-filled reign and the emerging horror of the AIDS epidemic. Christine and her sisters are fortunate; though they live with want, they are well-off and well-educated.

“We were at Makerere University; we were the cream of the crop. We had dodged the bullets of Amin, Obote, all the coups, the economic war, exile and return, and here we were on the road to success. We were the lucky ones, the chosen few. No one said this out loud, of course, we just knew we were different, protected; our fate was privilege. We didn’t consciously think it, but the knowledge sat at the back of our minds like a fat cat. We were intelligent, read books for fun, had worn shoes and socks to school while villagers went barefoot; we spoke proper English; listened to Top of the Pops rather than Congolese music; ate with forks, not our fingers. And, of course, we would one day leave this place to work in southern Africa, or go to Europe or America for further studies. Escape, but not by dying.”

For Christine, her family status certainly gives her advantages, but the path to success is anything but clear. Facing the universal struggles of coming of age – discovering your own voice and deciphering the rules of the adult world – is only part of Christine’s battle. She must also cope with an unstable government, threats to her health in the midst of sexual revolution, racism and sexism, and the expectations of a nation.

“So, in Higher, as it’s called, we have this extra duty in school and as privileged young women in Uganda, a third world country, don’t you forget, because we are getting this excellent, government-subsidized (white) education. We must represent all the impoverished throngs who are not as lucky as we are, especially the women. We must be graceful, hardworking, and upright; disciplined enough to withstand the hordes of lusty men at university, in offices, or on the street who will try to ‘spoil’ us – unless, of course, they want to marry us. Then, as educated, faithful wives, we will work alongside our Christian husbands in our modern civilized homes (bedsheets folded to make perfect hospital corners), while serving our country in a lauded profession.”

The simple beauty and stark contrast of the cover image perfectly capture this book’s nature. Baingana’s words are quiet and measured, peppered with lilting phrases and vivid imagery that fill the mind’s eye.

“As my parents’ voices receded toward their bedroom, an argument inevitably began. Taata grunted a word or two, low commas to Maama’s continuous sentence of complaint, a wail, a plaintive song. Her voice choked with tears. She seemed to be forcing them back while letting streams of anger pour out.”

At times, I felt Baingana relied too heavily on the reader to conjure up emotion; her characters were stoic and her words were often flat, even in highly emotional situations. Though her work contained beautiful outtakes of delicate phrase, they were often buried in lengthy, dispassionate passages. I appreciated her skill and, even more, her story, but a greater balance with more pops of color and passion would have made this novel leave stronger mark.

[Joel Benjamin Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd never considered the beaches and fish of Entebbe when I first heard of Tropical Fish. Yes, I knew it was a short story book set in Uganda but that was the last thing on my mind. And this is the thing about this short story collection, it did not start with the title story.

Be warned there are spoilers.

This book shows us the lives of three sisters, Christine, Rosa and Patti in an era between the madness of one dictator and a new liberator in the tropical African country, Ugandan.

Theissues that jump out at me are the African family/society and how it interacts with itself and the West, plus what happens when things do not turn out as planned? What happens when lust turns into death? When sadness turns into addiction? When apathy turns into normalcy? Each of the sisters might have an answer to give.

Christine is the main focus in this tale. We see her journey through teenage, school, dating, interracial relationships in a Least Developed Country, moving to a new country, adapting to new norms and cultures, and then having to finally move back to her home. Can a first home eventually become a second? (Arguments of the Migration vs Home African Literature will have something to pick from this story). For periods of time you're in Christine's mind as she goes through all these changes and perhaps the question at the end is do you empathise, are you reviled or do you have no response?

Patti is the silent rock of the story. She and her mother are the ones who decide to settle with the circumstances around them and rest. Her quabbles are with hunger mostly and when hunger is dealt with, she and God have no issues.

Rosa is a firework. An excited teenager whose unencumbered outlook to life leads her to the highs of life and ultimately the lows. Hers is a short appearance and quite an apt symbol that way.

You start to wish that after the final line of the last story there was a new chapter, a new short story to follow but there is none. The wisdom dispensed is firm and not long-worded. Perhaps I want it to continue because now I understand her struggles, her questions, her issues?

Or perhaps the sadness of their collective childhood stole a few secrets from mine and it was neccessary to leave it quickly? I can't tell you. I can say, that in a way, the life of many Ugandans is shared with that of the Mugishas in Entebbe, and you should read it and find your lessons, I am keeping mine.

[Вікторія Слінявчук · Rating 4 out of 5]

Рассказы связаны между собой, так как посвящены одной и той же семье, в то же время каждый можно читать и отдельно. Главные героини - три сестры: Пэтти, Роза и Кристин Мугиша, каждый рассказ написан от лица одной из них, большинство - от лица младшей, Кристин.
Они из городского среднего класса, отец - инженер, мать - госслужащая, семья благополучная, точнее, была благополучной, пока отец не спился. Детство сестер пришлось на годы правления печально известного Иди Амина. Писательница особо не концентрируется на живописании кровавого режима, но некоторые детали проскальзывают: дефицит продуктов, разрушенные дороги и школы, изгнание из страны индусов.
"Green Stones". Маленькая Кристин играет с материнскими украшениями и слушает родительские скандалы за стеной. Вроде бы, далекая Уганда, но переживания маленькой девочки в семье с отцом-алкоголиком, наверно, будут понятны многим в самых разных частях света, увы.
"Hunger". Единственный рассказ от лица старшей сестры, Пэтти. Монастырская школа-интернат, бедность, голодуха, почти тюремные порядки... Эта жуткая и до сих пор неизжитая традиция отправлять детей в закрытые школы, бррр.
"First Kiss". Первое свидание 14-летней Кристин. Неудачное.
"Passion". Забавный рассказ о том, как Роза пробует местную черную магию джуджу на школьном учителе литературы.
"A Thank-You Note". А вот следующий рассказ тоже от лица Розы очень контрастирует с предыдущим - трагический, жуткий и, на мой взгляд, самый сильный в книге. Умирающая от СПИДа Роза пишет письмо своему бойфрэнду.
"Tropical Fish". Роман (если это можно так назвать) Кристин с белым мужчиной, старшим на 15 лет. При чем тут рыба? Он закупает в Уганде рыбу подешевке и продает в Европу - очень выгодный бизнес.
"Lost in Los-Angeles". Кристин выигрывает грин-карту и отправляется в США.
"Questions of Home". Возвращение Кристин в родную страну восемь лет спустя.
Мне понравилось большинство рассказов и вообще сам стиль Дорин Баинганы - она пишет так, что прямо картинки встают перед глазами. И форма мне кажется выбранной удачно. Хотя я сначала подумала - а почему она не написала целый роман о сестрах Мугиша? Но так, пожалуй, даже лучше вышло - малая форма ей очевидно дается хорошо, а н��заполненные временные промежутки оставляют простор для воображения.

[Ferris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting collection of connected short stories which manage to convey the lives of three Ugandan sisters from youth to adulthood. The stories are written in a direct style, in the distinctive voices of the three sisters. The plots range widely, from the joy and mystery of being alone in her parent's bedroom playing with her mother's jewelry, to the hunger and hardship at boarding school, to the firestorm spread of HIV/AIDS across the country, to studying in the USA, to coming home to Uganda after eight years in the States. The emotional tenor ranges from childlike wonder to fury to disillusionment to self-discovery. All in all, a series of vignettes which give the reader some glimpses into daily life in post-Amin Uganda, and to the challenges faced by anyone growing up in one culture and trying to blend into a new one. Baingana does a wonderful job of balancing aspects of general humanity with facets of live specific to Uganda. Very nice collection!

[Brandon Fryman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a great read. I especially like the "A Thank You Note" and "Lost in Los Angeles" chapters. They were awe inspiring and thought provoking. This story was written about Uganda, Ugandans, and how Ugandans face certain daily practices. One of my favorite passages from the book "What better way is there to bury your dead, but not to go lustfully after life? I must scream against death just like I used to with life. I must live even harder." I just love this book, its harsh conditions, and the love of Uganda when the story ends. Each chapter is a different point of view told by three sisters and none of the chapters follow any kind of story, each chapter is its own rich story.

[Stasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked a lot: Learning about Uganda. The last two stories really made me think about sense of self and learning how to be in the world, especially when one is far from home--and what the heck does "home" mean anyway?

What I liked less: Though the stories are all about three sisters, they didn't necessarily cohere into a whole for me. Also, sometimes it felt like the stories just sort of ended, randomly, not even in that unsettled sort of end but just in a place that seemed sort of random, like Baingana didn't really know what to do so just stopped writing.

I'm glad I read it, but not more than three stars glad:)

[Bren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Towards the end of this vivid, poignant, funny short story collection, there's an amazing one about AIDS, maybe the best African fiction on AIDS I've yet read except for Phaswane Mpe's Welcome To Our Hillbrow. This story is a refusal to feel ashamed of sexual pleasure in the face of nightmarish circumstances, a riposte to the politics of respectability that often get in the way of dealing with the epidemic, and it draws together the rest of the stories (even bringing some previous characters back in in quite arresting ways) which are all about female hungers and desires in one way or another.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a tough time deciding how to rate this--I wish there was a 3.5. This books tells the tale of 3 sisters growing up in post-Amin Entebbe but focuses on the youngest, Christine. It follows them through young adult-hood, including Christine's ex-pat experience in the US.

I really like Baingana's writing style and the chapter "Thank you note" is exceptional in its raw emotion. But "Tropical Fish" as a whole left me wanting more. The story was a little disjointed and it could have used more fleshing out overall.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

These linked short stories tell about the lives of Christine Mugisha and her family in Uganda, following the dictatorship of Idi Amin. Though the stories hint at political strife, hunger, a black market economy and the growing scourge of AIDS in Africa, they mostly focus on the attempts of Christine and her sisters to have normal girlhoods in the face of so much turmoil. We follow Christine to America, then back to Entebbe as she forms new definitions of "home." These stories are lyrical and moving.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of short stories connected into one modern-day Uganda family's history. Really gives a flavor of modern east African life. The author so subtly sends the reader into the upheaval of an upper-class family upended by an angry alcoholic father, the post-Amin era, the protaganist's transition from Africa to America and back again. I haven't found much Tanzanian literature yet, but I was happy to read this. One perspective of many, I'm sure.